The Child of Light and Shadow
by snootsnoot
Summary: 16-Year-Old Mia is unsatisfied with her life as a High school student, her large collection of books being the only thing keeping her sane. What she doesn't realize is that her life is about to change, either for better or for worse. What she doesn't know is that the world she was plunged into is in danger, and full of secrets. Previously A Cat by Another Name.
1. Introduction

【 Ｐｒｏｌｏｇｕｅ】

Mia had always seen life as something you have to undertake, to experience. It wasn't really a choice, and you just kind of had to soar through it on auto-pilot. The same thing was for High School. You know, she didn't understand why so many people stress out about it. She was an okay student, and always got A's or B's on everything, she was average. In fact, if you were to describe her in one word, it would be just that.

Average.

After High School, she had always planned for her life to be simple. Go to college, get married, and tend to live out your days with your family. Nothing special. She was never one to believe that she could make an impact on this earth, that she could change something. All life was to her was different hoops to jump through, each one closer to, well, dying. It was simple as that, no twists or things unexpected. Did this life sound fun? Well, not exactly, but what was she to do about that? Like she could change something her life.

Little did Mia know, Life was about to slap her in the face.

It was a Monday night, and she had just finished up what was the last of her English homework. Her teachers were always telling her how she should 'Aim for the Stars!' and how she could do so much better. Honestly, Mia just wanted school to be over, she didn't care if she got good grades or not, she just wanted to survive it. High School really kinda sucked, in her opinion. Everybody there acts as though it actually matters, and that being one of the 'Popular kids' really meant something. Now she was starting to see why people called her a pessimist. Her parents were pretty normal, her mom was a nurse, and her dad worked at town hall doing god knows what. They never really paid attention to Mia, I mean they weren't _terrible_ parents, they loved her and all. They just always seemed to be too caught up in their lives to notice her.

Growing up, as you might have guessed, Mia was extremely bored. She didn't have many friends, and whenever she tried to speak or have any kind of relationship with her parents they would just buy her something else to do so that she wouldn't bother them. Now, that she was thinking it out loud, it sounded pretty crappy. But there was always one thing that got her through the boredom; books. She would spend probably 9 hours a day reading, she devoured them. Each one took her to a different place and a different adventure. She felt like she was free to do anything, to explore anything.

She glanced up at the clock hanging on the peeling yellow walls of her bedroom. Mia's bedroom was simple, A small white desk in one corner of the room, with a small bed at the other, overlooking a large window. Propped up in the corner was a small house plant, that when she was younger named Arnold. You would think that since she named the thing she would have taken good care of poor Arnold. Nope. She kept him alive for a whole two days and was very proud of it. She looked at the sad plant. It had been there for eight years, and Mia still hadn't thrown him away. _I should get a new plant sometime_. She sighed as she stood up and flopped on to her bed. It shook violently, and she heard the metal clang against the wall. Mia let out a groan as she felt her bare feet graze something on the floor. Mia cursed to herself as she curiously peered over her mattress to find something there that she hadn't seen in a long time. Now with newfound interest, she grabbed it and switched on the lamp closest to her bed. She let out a sad laugh. It was her old copy of _Into the Wild._ This book held a lot of memories for her and was one of the most memorable books she had ever read. Her fingers softly grazed the cover as she looked at it fondly.

"Mia, what are you doing" She scolded aloud. "That book is for like, 12-year-olds."

She shoved it back under her bed with a sigh. The room went dark and she was alone with her thoughts as she shut off the light. Yeah, she was too old for that book. Plus it was horribly unrealistic, I mean talking cats? Come on! She was 16, definitely not the age to enjoy books like that. Mia stared up at the dark ceiling above her. She felt a strange feeling creep up on her, one that she had never felt before. _I'm not ready to go to college, and I'm most certainly not ready to live on my own._ She realized this feeling was uncertainty, fear even. Mia looked down at the floor where the warriors' book was laying dejectedly.

"I wish I could go back to a time when it was as simple as reading a book." Mia whimpered. Before she knew it, she was crying.

 _Maybe the life I thought was so simple wasn't anymore._

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ'ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

YAY I FINALLY FINISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER.

I've been putting this story off for days, and now I finally got around to completing it. I'm sick right now, going to the hospital tomorrow :I. I'm kinda happy with this chapter, sorry I contemplated life for a bit too long at the beginning, I promise the story won't be as boring from now on. This was kind of the chapter I had to get out of the way before I could really get the story moving along. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

-snoot


	2. Allegiances

【 Ａｌｌｅｇｉａｎｃｅｓ】

 **THUNDERCLAN**

 **LEADER**

BLIZZARDSTAR: Black and white speckled tom with blue eyes

 **MEDICINE CAT(S)**

CLOUDWHISKER: White tom with bright blue eyes

 **APPRENTICE: MOONPAW**

 **WARRIORS**

SPARROWFEATHER: Brown tom with darker brown stripes with amber eyes.

 **APPRENTICE: BRIARPAW**

RUSSETHEART: russet-furred she-cat with brown eyes

 **APPRENTICE: LIONPAW**

LIGHTNINGSTORM: lithe tom cat with grey fur and blue eyes

DEWFERN: light orange tabby she-cat with amber eyes

MOSSCLAW: Pure white tom with amber eyes

NIGHTPELT: pitch black she-cat with bright blue eyes

SMALLNOSE: small brown tom cat with green eyes

 **APPRENTICE: STONEPAW**

CHERRYPOOL: Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

LITTLEBREEZE: Brown tabby tom with blue eyes

SNOWSTREAM: Cream-colored tabby with blue eyes

MAPLELEAF: Calico she-cat with green eyes

FOXTAIL: russet-furred tom with leaf green eyes

PEBBLETAIL: Pretty grey she-cat with amber eyes

 **APPRENTICE:** **LAKEPAW**

EAGLEFLIGHT: Large brown tom with bright blue eyes

ROSEMOON: small black and white she-cat with hazel eyes

 **APPRENTICES**

LIONPAW: Orange tabby tom with amber eyes

LAKEPAW: lithe Grey and white she-cat with blue eyes

STONEPAW: Dark grey tom with dark blue eyes

BRIARPAW: Dark brown she-cat with amber eyes

MOONPAW: Cream and gray she-cat with green eyes

 **QUEENS**

IVYLEAF: Cream and black speckled she-cat with amber eyes. Expecting Lightningstorm's kits.

SANDMIST: Pale golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes. Mother to POUNCEKIT and BEARKIT

 **ELDERS**

BLOSSOMFLOWER: brown and white she-cat with green eyes

BLAZESTORM: Dark russet tom with dark green eyes

SUSIE: small dark she-cat with amber eyes


	3. Chapter One

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｏｎｅ】

Mia tossed and turned while she slept, not seeming to be able to drift into unconsciousness. Finally, she decided to just stay awake. _I had to have slept for a little bit, right?_ Mia slowly opened her eyes, hoping it wasn't earlier than 3 am. She blinked at how unexpectedly bright it was outside her window. _Huh_. She thought to herself. _I don't remember pulling up my blinds before I went to bed._ She struggled to sit up, overcome by tiredness. _I didn't fall asleep that late, why am I this tired when it's light outside?_ Clutching the air, she searched for her phone to check the time. Mia let out a small grunt as she felt her hand bump against hair dirt. _Wait. Dirt?_ Confusedly, she tried to move her hand towards her line of vision, realizing that it felt odd. Mia gasped as a small paw came into view. _That isn't…no._ She shook her head. _This can't be mine._ She imagined her hand wiggling and gasped as the paw wiggled as well. Furiously, believing she was crazy, she wiggled it vigorously, trying to convince herself that she was just extremely sleep deprived. After 5 or so minutes of wiggling this…paw she slumped her arm back down to the ground in shock. _If that's a paw…what am I?_ Mia sat up quickly but then proceeded to fall back down onto the earth, shaking. _I can't even stand up._ She felt a few tears slip down her face as she tried again, this time succeeding. Tilting her neck backward, her jaw slipped open.

She let out a strangled scream.

No. This. Isn't. Real.

Mia had looked back, expecting to see her body, but instead, she saw something she never thought she would see.

She was a cat.

Mia tried to back away from it, thinking that she was hallucinating, but the narrow lower half of a cat followed me. The newly made cat was prepared to scream again, but then finally gathered her thoughts. _You don't know what's out there._ She looked at her surroundings warily. She was standing in a clearing, lush shrubbery surrounding her, morning sunlight streaming through massive oak trees. It felt strange, being this low to the ground. A wave of curiosity washed over her, even though she was still very confused. Shakily, she began stumbling over to a small pond, scared to what I would see. Staring back at her was a small cat, who looked no older than 7 months, with wide, confused green eyes. She had a round face, with cream-colored fur, with one ear tip that looked nearly gold in the sunlight. The she-cat flipped around to look back at the rest of her body, which had similar colored fur to her face. The majority of her body was cream-colored, with the same gold color as her face splotched throughout her pelt. Honestly, Mia was pretty cute looking for a cat. _No._ She was internally screaming at herself for thinking about appearances of all things in this situation.

"Lionpaw, where are we going again?" a voice complained

The young cat's eyes widened as she stumbled away from the pool. _What was that?_ Walking as fast as she could, she ducked around a nearby bush.

"Lakepaw, just trust me, I know what I'm doing." Mia heard a snort follow that sentence.

"Sure you do." The unknown voice replied sarcastically. I drew in a breath. _Who are they?_ The trio continued to bicker until they stopped abruptly.

"Did you hear that?" The first voice whispered. Silence followed her words. _Did they hear me?_

"Wait." The second voice snapped. "I smell something." She faintly heard footsteps, heading in her direction.

I began to sweat. They knew she was here. _Are they going to kill me?_ The cats were now so close if she was a snake they would be dead. _You can't hide, they already know._ Not knowing what on earth possessed her, she shakily stepped out from her bush. The three cats surrounding me gasped. Whatever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't her. Mia studied the trio, they all looked like they were related some way or another, _maybe siblings_ she thought. The tom farthest on her left had a light orange pelt, and was certainly bigger than her, but not by much. His amber eyes were filled with fear, but he was obviously trying to hide it. Next to him was a small grey tabby she-cat, her bright blue eyes filled with curiosity. Beside her was a dark gray tom, who looked a little like the other tom, with deep blue eyes.

"Who are you?" The orange tom asked her, trying to sound less afraid than he already was.

"I-I'm" She began to stutter out but closed her mouth almost immediately. _You can't tell them your name is Mia._ "-I don't know" She finished lamely. The three of them stared at the she-cat, obviously not believing her response.

"Ok, fine. No name then." The orange tom shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "What are you doing on Thunderclan territory?"

She blinked. That name sounded awfully familiar. "Thunderclan?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but the grey she-cat cut him off with a flick of her tail.

"You don't know what Thunderclan is?"

"Not really" Mia confessed with a nervous laugh. The tension in the clearing lessened a bit, now that they knew she wasn't a threat.

"You guys aren't going to try and kill me, right?" She gazed at them.

The grey tom shook his head. "Wasn't really planning on it."

Mia let out a sigh of relief. _At least I'm not going to get hurt._

"How did you ge-" he began but was stopped by a rustling beside us. She glanced back nervously at the noise. _More cats?_ She was proved wrong by the awful wafts of stench that hit her nose. _God that smells horrible._ I looked back to see all three cat's eyes widen with fear.

"What is that?" Mia whispered.

The next few moments were a blur. All she could remember a cat nudging her towards the nearest bush and the heavy pawsteps of something draw closer. She looked around wildly in fear, trying to push the bush away so I could see. She gasped. The animal had a massive body, which would tower over any cat. Its nostrils flared angrily while looking around, confused why the four cats it had just seen were gone. She was jolted out of her thoughts by a paw prodding her shoulder. Mia turned around to see the she-cat stare into her eyes fearfully. She mouthed something that made her stomach drop.

 _Fox._


	4. Chapter Two

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｗｏ】

 _Fox?!_ Mia's mind was racing. She had never really thought of foxes to be all that scary, but now being a small cat, she could see how that would be intimidating. The small she-cat poked her head out of the ferns long enough to get a good look at the foul-smelling creature. It was most definitely a fox, with small flecks of grey and white around its muzzle, and sharp canine teeth. _Wait._ She squinted her eyes. The fox seemed off. She noticed how it seemed to stumble around the clearing, almost drunkenly. Then she noticed its eyes, one being a dull orange, the other being somewhat glazed over and slumped to one side. _Something happened to its eye._ Snapping out of her thoughts, Mia shifted her attention to the other cats, who were whispering nervously.

"…This is the worst, we just became apprentices and now we're going to be some fox's dinner"

The orange tom huffed angrily.

The she-cat poked him. "Don't be such a pessimist." The three cats finally realized she was there.

"You guys haven't happened to uh…" She gestured towards the fox. They all shook their heads in unison. The golden she-cat let out a small groan as she peeked around the foliage again, this time sticking her head out further.

"Is she crazy?" The grey tom hissed. "She's going to get us all killed!" His sister shushed him with a flick of her tail, and she could feel all three of their gazes baring into her pelt. _Great, now they want me to do something._ Mia studied the fox, hoping to find anything else that she could use to their advantage. _I need to know if its blind on that side._ Swallowing what little courage she had left, Mia turned to face the three young cats huddled behind her. _For clan cats these apprentices sure are wimps._ Glancing around the bushes, she found a small rock. _Let's hope this works_. She glanced up at a tree on the far side of the clearing. _If I can get there in time, this might just work._

"Okay," Mia glanced at the two toms, who were whispering. "Can you run decently fast?" The grey tom nodded, and she let out a sigh of relief. _At least they aren't questioning me._

"And you, can you throw this rock when I give you a signal?" The lithe gray she-cat was shaking, but she bobbed her head regardless.

"Okay, here's the plan." The three cats huddled around her, while she finished explaining her plan.

"Do you really think this will work?" The golden tom meowed skeptically.

The she-cat cuffed her brother on the ear, and Mia shot her a grateful glance. She flicked her tail to the toms, and they both began to silently creep through the shrubbery on either side of the clearing, then stopped once they reached where the clearing led into the forest. Mia nosed the small stone to the she-cat and then began to stumble to a tree that had branches that would support her weight. Clumsily, Mia latched her newfound claws to the thick bark and began to pull herself up. _These things are pretty useful._ Eventually, she had managed to pull herself onto the lowest hanging branch. She glanced around the clearing, making sure that everyone was where they were supposed to be. Mia's eyes met with the clear blue of the gray she-cat and nodded. Just like she had planned, the apprentice tossed the stone below the branch Mia was on. _Please don't let it see me._ She held her breath as the lumbering creature walked over and sniffed the stone. She gasped as I heard the branch crack beneath her. The fox glanced up at her, eyes wide. Letting out and accidental screech, she fell onto the fox's head and began to blindly scratch at its face. The creature let out a roar and flew off into the woods, and Mia got tossed off and landed with a thud. _Please tell me it worked._ She managed to struggle up enough strength to see the two toms chase the yowling fox into the trees.

"That was brilliant!" A muffled meow sounded to the right of her. More voices echoed around her as she tried to manage to stay upright. Her body felt like it was on fire, even though she probably wasn't tossed very far. The two toms, who were still excitedly chatting about how they had just chased away a fox, didn't seem harmed, same with what appeared to be their sister. She let out a sigh of relief. _At least none of them got hurt._

"-seriously guys, she doesn't look very good, we should bring her back to camp." The she-cat meowed while pawing worriedly at the ground. Mia blinked in surprise. _They really want to take some strange cat they just met back to their home?_

Almost voicing her opinions exactly, the golden tom scoffed. "Really Lakepaw, you want to bring some stranger back to camp? Blizzardstar will kill us!"

She shot a glare at him. "This _stranger_ just saved our lives! Plus we're already pretty much dead, considering we weren't even supposed to be out of camp."

The grey tom, who was silently listening to the conversation, finally spoke. "Maybe you should ask _her_ what she wants to do." Both cats eyes widened, as though this hadn't occurred to them before now.

"Well," The she-cat meowed, shifting her gaze to Mia. "Would you like to come to Thunderclan?

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Hey Guys! Guess what, I'm not dead! I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but I've been dealing with some family and health issues, and school has been hELL. But now that it's the new year and all, I really want to continue with this story. Thank you so much to the people who have followed and favorited the story, it means a lot :D Also sorry this chapter is so short, the future ones will hopefully be a bit longer :D**


	5. Chapter Three

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｈｒｅｅ】

 _Would you like to join Thunderclan?_

Mia's mind was still buzzing even though she had only been walking for a few moments. _I'm going to join Thunderclan. Sure, it isn't the one I've read about in the books, considering the current leader is some cat named Blizzardstar._ Mia racked her memory, trying to remember if any cat had ever had the prefix blizzard. Deciding she shouldn't worry about it right now, she glanced around at her surroundings, in awe of the looming trees above her. Judging by the suns position, it must be around noon-ish. While glancing around, her eyes met with the gray tom's curious gaze.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

An unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes and he shifted his stare towards the ground.

"N-nothing, you just are looking around like you've never seen a forest before."

Dread settled in her stomach. _What if they find out that I'm not from around here. Heck, that I'm not even a cat._ Slightly Panicking, she tried to shake the worry from her pelt.

"I've seen a forest before," She scoffed, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "I was just wondering where your camp is."

The golden tom spoke up from behind his brother. "Hopefully we don't get there any time soon, I'm not quite looking forward to being punished."

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!" The she-cat meowed cheekily, resulting in her brother giving her a hard shove.

"Hey, just remember, you snuck out too. You're just as much to blame as I am."

The light grey and white tabby huffed and all four of the cats continued to pad through Thunderclan territory in silence.

"So…" Mia began cautiously. "What's it like to be Thunderclan apprentices?"

"Well, for one, we've only been apprentices for like, a day so we don't know quite that much." The she-cat explained. The dappled she-cat nodded, trying to seem as though she didn't know anything about the clans. _I will admit, these cats are pretty brave, or stupid, I don't quite know which. If I remember correctly apprentices aren't supposed to go out on their own. Especially new ones._

"-When you become an apprentice in Thunderclan, or any clan, you get a mentor." She continued.

"Yeah, and I got the worst mentor _ever_ " The golden tom interjected with a sigh. "I mean she is the deputy I guess, but she's so uptight. At least you got a cool mentor Lakepaw." _Right._ She remembered, mentally kicking herself. _The she-cat is Lakepaw, and the orange tom is Lionpaw._ Mia glanced at their brother, trying to remember if she knew his name or not.

"You'll probably get a good mentor though," Lakepaw meowed. "I-I mean, if you stay that is." Mia's eyes widened. _What if they kick me out? What will I do then?_

"Uh, Guys? I hate to break up the conversation, but we're here."

Mia gulped. The camp was big, bigger then she had pictured it, with large oak trees surrounding it, sheltering the clan with their branches.

"I don't want to go in there!" Lionpaw whined, digging his claws nervously into the earth. "If we don't go back, I don't have to deal with Russetheart's wrath!"

"Come on, it's not as though she's going to eat you." The grey tom meowed with a grin.

"Oh, I might." I voice meowed dryly from behind us. Lionpaw turned around slowly, his amber eyes wide. A large red-furred she-cat stood behind us, her eyes sparkling with anger.

Lionpaw gulped. "Oh uh, hey there Russetheart, we were just-"

"I know what you were doing." She interrupted, her voice low and calm. Somehow, that almost seemed scarier. _Whatever emotion she's feeling, she certainly isn't showing it._ "You snuck out of camp with these two" she flicked her tail to both of the other guilty-looking apprentices.

Her amber gaze settled upon Mia, and curiosity replaced anger. "And I see you've brought someone back with you." Her voice still steady. "Who are you?"

Amber eyes met green as Mia stared back at her. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure." The she-cats flicked her ear in surprise.

"You don't know who you are."

"I don't remember my name, or where I come from." She internally winced at the lie. _Please tell me they aren't going to question me._ The senior warrior shifted her gaze.

"You're hurt."

"Oh, um, not really. I mean, not too badly." Russetheart narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Where have you four been?" Before Lionpaw could even speak, she shook her head, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't bother responding, you'll have to report to Blizzardstar anyway, save it for him." With that, she padded back into camp.

Mia turned to the other apprentices. "Well, that was…"

"Terrifying!" Lionpaw blurted out. "And that wasn't even the punishment! She'll probably make me take care of the elders for at least a moon." With that, the tom began to slowly enter the camp with a downcast expression on his face.

"Hey," Lakepaw flicked her tail on Lionpaw's back, exchanging a grin with Mia and her brother. "At least she didn't eat you!" Lionpaw tried to muster up a glare but ended up letting out a snort of laughter.

"True."

The grey tom skidded to a halt in front of her, and all of them slightly stumbled. Standing in front of the cats was a young broad-shouldered tom, with a white and black speckled pelt.

"Ah, so it seems Thunderclan's newest apprentices have returned from their escapade." A hint of amusement in his meow. "And I have heard you've also brought someone back." His eyes flashed when he looked at Mia. _He almost looks, scared?_ Before she could even tell what it was, it was gone. "Follow me." He meowed as he began to pad towards a small hole underneath a ledge jutting out from one side of the camp.

Inside the cave was dark and slightly stuffy, and all five of them could barely fit.

"So, tell me what happened." He meowed, wrapping his long tail around his forepaws.

"To start off with, we really are sorry Blizzardstar, and-"

"You can apologize later Stonepaw, now some cat _please_ tell me your reasoning for sneaking out of camp." Blizzardstar meowed, cutting off the grey apprentice. Lakepaw began to tell the story of why they snuck out, and eventually to them meeting Mia.

"We stumbled across her while we were out of camp," She explained. "Shortly after that, we uh-" The she-cat glanced at her littermates for help, then let out a sigh. "We had to hide from a fox." She mumbled in a quieter tone.

"You _what_? There was a fox on Thunderclan territory and you're choosing to tell me this _now_?" Blizzardstar exclaimed, his previously calm tone getting angrier by the second.

"No! I mean yes," Lionpaw stammered "But she came up with a plan for us to chase it off." The leader once again stared at Mia, and she found herself meeting his gaze. _Since when did I get this confident?_

"And did this plan work?" He was speaking to all of them, but it was directed at Mia.

Mia nodded. "It did. Lakepaw lured the half-blind fox underneath a branch that I was on, and I somehow managed to claw its other eye to the point where it was completely blind. Then Lionpaw and Stonepaw chased it away."

Shocked, the leader looked at all of them. "I see. Lionpaw, Lakepaw, and Stonepaw, you may go."

Lionpaw's eyes brightened.

"And your mentor's will choose the punishment for your actions," Blizzardstar added. The three sulked out of the den, with Lakepaw silently mouthing 'Good luck' over her shoulder. After the three had left, Blizzardstar turned to her. "Thank you, for what you did about the fox. We will probably send out more patrols to look for it, just to make sure it doesn't come back."

Mia shifted uncomfortably. She'd never liked receiving praise, especially when she didn't do that much.

"I really couldn't have done it without them."

Blizzardstar nodded. "Of course." There was a hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Now, about the other matter." He glanced at her. "After all that has happened today, and the fact that Thunderclan needs more good warriors," He paused. "Would you like to become an apprentice and become a warrior of Thunderclan?"

Mia's green eyes widened in shock. She was kind of expecting this, but now it was all becoming so real. She was a _cat_. She was going to join a clan of _cats_. One that she had read about for years, was now a reality to her. Mia swallowed. "I would be honored to."

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Hi guys! I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer, so I hope you guys enjoy it :D Also thank you so much to all of the people who have commented on the previous chapters, and thank you Zouboss and HeatherDiamond128 for the reviews :D**


	6. Chapter Four

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｆｏｕｒ】

"I would be honored to."

"Good." He meowed, letting out a sigh masked with relief. "Of course, I will have to discuss this with my senior warriors, and if all goes well the ceremony should be later this evening.

 _This is really happening._ Swallowing, Mia dipped her head to the Thunderclan leader and began to pad out the den before pausing.

"Blizzardstar?"

"Yes?" He replied tensely.

Taken aback at his sudden change in mood, she responded quickly. "I was just wondering what I should do up until then."

Blizzardstar's eyes flashed, and he shook his pelt. "I'm sure one of the apprentices would be willing to show you around."

Mia nodded again and padded out of the cave. _Why was he so on edge?_ She thought quietly to herself. The dappled she-cat tried to shake the worry from her pelt. _He's probably just stressed, being the leader of a clan and all._

"You made it out alive!" A voice meowed excitedly from the other side of the camp. Lakepaw bounded over to her from where she was talking with another cat.

"So? Are you going to stay? I really hope you are, it would be nice to have another apprentice around."

Mia couldn't help but let out a purr at her excited tone. _At least I'm not completely alone._

She nodded. "He asked me and I said yes, although he has to talk it over with some other warriors first." Both of them turned to the entrance to his den, watching as a couple of cats squeezed in after him. Before disappearing, the last cat in line, a pure white tom, turned to stare at her intensely before turning and following his clanmates.

"That's great!" She beamed. The grey she-cat opened her mouth to say more but stopped when a pale tabby she-cat cleared her throat behind her.

"What-" She began, turning around to face the other cat. "S-Sorry Pebbletail, I didn't mean to leave like that." The cat who was appeared to be Pebbletail flicked Lakepaw's ear good-naturedly before turning to Mia.

"You must be the new cat I've heard so much about. I'm Pebbletail, Lakepaw's mentor."

She dipped her head to the she-cat. "Nice to meet you." Pebbletail flashed her a smile before glancing at her apprentice.

"Back to what we were discussing, I've come up with your punishment." Upon hearing this, Lakepaw gulped.

"I can go-" Mia offered, turning away from the two cats.

"No, it's okay." Lakepaw meowed, facing her mentor. "Hopefully it won't be too bad."

Pebbletail let out a purr of amusement. "You and your littermates are so overly dramatic sometimes. Your punishment is to show her around the camp, and make sure she gets to see one of the medicine cats at some point, just to be careful."

The apprentice's eyes widened. "But that's not a punishment-"

Pebbletail raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather I make you clean out the elder's den for a moon?"

"N-No thank you," She meowed hurriedly, tugging her along. "Thank you Pebbletail! You're the best!" Lakepaw yelled over her shoulder as she tugged Mia towards a den.

"Nice to meet you!" Pebbletail called to them before disappearing into a different den.

"Wow" The grey she-cat meowed, her eyes blue eyes sparkling. "I can't believe I got off that easily! I mean, I was going to show you around anyway." She nudged her good-naturedly. She was taken aback at how friendly the apprentice was acting. Mia hadn't pretended to not notice the curious and hostile stares she was getting from the other cats in the clearing.

She followed Lakepaw into a large crack in the side of a large boulder that sat on the edge of the camp.

As soon as she entered the den, Mia nearly gagged at how pungent the medicine den was.

Lakepaw turned to her. "Sorry, I know the smell in here gets a little getting used to, I honestly don't know how Cloudwhisker and Moonpaw stand it in here." She mewed apologetically.

Mia opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud thudding noise followed by quiet cursing from the back of the cave.

"Moonpaw? Is that you?" Lakepaw called out, twitching her whiskers in amusement.

"Er-Yes, sorry, Cloudwhisker isn't here, he went to the meeting in-" A cream and grey tabby she-cat rambled as she poked her head out of the darkness.

"Oh Lakepaw, it's just you." She meowed brightly as she sat down and began to lick a grey paw. "And you must be the new cat everyone's talking about."

Mia widened her eyes in surprise. "You know?"

Moonpaw purred in amusement. "That's one thing you'll come to learn, news here spreads pretty fast." The words had barely left the medicine cats mouth before she realized what she had said. "Sorry," she stammered. "I just assumed you were staying."

Mia shrugged. "It's okay, I honestly don't know what's going to happen at this point."

Lakepaw sat down beside the two cats. "Are you kidding? He would be an idiot not to let you stay, you fought off a fox!"

Moonpaw cuffed her friend over the ear. "Careful, someone's going to hear you calling Blizzardstar an idiot, and then you're really going to be in trouble." The medicine cat turned to the newcomer with a curious gaze. "So you did actually fight off a fox? Are you hurt?"

Mia shook her head. "Not really, he did toss me back a little bit, but it was half-blind, couldn't do too much."

"By the time she was done with it, it was completely blind!" Lakepaw piped in.

Mia shuffled her paws, tearing at the floor haphazardly. _Why are they being so nice, I am just a stranger after all._

"Why are you guys being so nice to me?" She mumbled.

Lakepaw blinked at me in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, I'm a complete stranger."

Moonpaw, who had padded to the back of the cave turned around. "Well, you haven't really done anything for us _not_ to be nice to you."

She couldn't help but feel gratitude bubble in her chest. _The cats are nicer than anyone back home._

Mia smiled at the two of them. _Maybe this place isn't so different after all._

Lakepaw pricked her ears towards the entrance to camp. "Look! A hunting patrol just got back!" She swiped a pink tongue over her muzzle. "I'm starving." She glanced at Mia "You probably are too, considering you haven't eaten since we got here."

"Something to eat does sound good," Moonpaw admitted. "I'll come with you guys if you're gonna grab something to eat."

She looked outside to see multiple cats trod into camp holding various dead animals in their jaws. Her stomach seemed to drop. _How could I forget that cats eat dead things?_ I swallowed uneasily. _And now you have to too._ It's not like she had anything against eating meat, and when she was human it was one of her favorite meals. But now, watching cats eat it raw, with the fur and everything, of course, she had her doubts.

Trying not to panic, Mia followed the two she-cats out into the clearing, where they each grabbed a piece of prey. Glancing over the pile, none of the pieces of prey looked better than the rest, so closing her eyes, she plucked a random piece from the heap.

 _How am I going to eat this?_ The food that she had grabbed just happened to be a small squirrel, which in itself looked unappetizing. Realizing now that she was a cat, Mia would have to eat like one. She squeezed her eyes tight firmly and tore off a piece. Surprisingly, it wasn't horrible. Sure, it would have to take some getting used to, but at least she wouldn't starve. The cat continued to eat with her eyes shut in small, rapid bites until she was interrupted by Lionpaw and Stonepaw padding into camp, moss in their jaws.

"Having fun?" Lakepaw jokingly meowed to her littermates, amusement in her eyes. Both toms glared at their sister before disappearing into a den.

"Poor cats must have had to deal with Russetheart. Her punishments are the worst." Lakepaw meowed somewhat sympathetically, but still with a hint of amusement. "I still can't believe I'm not in there cleaning the elder's den with them."

"I wonder who you will get as a mentor." Moonpaw wondered aloud, surveying the camp.

Looking around, Mia noticed how many cats were giving her strange glances, some whispering among themselves. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she gave her dappled fur a lick.

The two she-cats began to discuss who they would think would be her mentor, while Mia let her thoughts wander. She wondered what was going on back home, and if her parents even noticed she was gone. _They probably don't even miss me._ Mia thought bitterly. Even if back where she used to consider 'home' she didn't quite feel like she belonged. At the same time, she wasn't sure if this was it either.

"May all cats gather for a clan meeting!" A voice called out, and cats began to pool around the peak that jutted out into the clearing. Pushing whatever emotions she was feeling down, Mia followed everyone else, taking a seat between Lakepaw and Lionpaw, who had joined the huddle of cats.

"As most of you have heard, three apprentices left camp early this morning, and have brought back someone with them."

As soon as Blizzardstar announced this, all eyes turned to Mia. Fighting the urge to curl up into a ball, she turned her gaze to the Thunderclan leader.

"These four have brought news of a fox on the territory, which the newcomer helped them fight off."

The cats began to turn and murmur about themselves, and I felt Lionpaw puff his chest out with pride.

"After talking it over with the senior warriors, I have made the decision to let her stay, and train as an apprentice of Thunderclan." With that, Blizzardstar flicked his tail towards the golden she-cat, and after sharing a reassuring glance with the three littermates, she shakily made her way to where Blizzardstar was standing. Mia vaguely remembered the ceremony from what she had read in the books, and couldn't help but wonder what her name would be. _I hope it's not something stupid._

"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lightpaw." The crowd of cats had been silent before, but now the atmosphere was dead silent. Uncomfortably silent. Cats were staring at Blizzardstar, some in anger, others in disbelief. Unease prickled her pelt, and she could feel the heat from the cat's gazes burning into her fur.

"Blizzardstar," I recognized the white tom from the leader's group of senior warriors, his mew deathly quiet. "Why are you doing this" Although he was speaking to Blizzardstar, his intense blue stare was focused on Mia. His tone was calm, but his eyes were sparkling with a mix of emotions, none of which she could sort out.

Mia gulped. None of the cats wanted her here, that was apparent. Maybe it was best if she just left, seeing as how much of an impact her becoming an apprentice had on the cats.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Blizzardstar flicked his tail dismissively at the white tom, before turning back to face the clan. At that moment, the young leader seemed to age years, his expression becoming tense like it had been back in his den. As soon as she noticed it, it was gone, and he seemed expressionless again.

"Your mentor will be Foxtail. I hope he can pass down all he knows to you." A young reddish-brown tom with white paws and tail tip stepped out of the crowd. "Foxtail, you are ready to take on an apprentice, and you have received excellent training from Blossomflower. You have shown yourself to be a brave and loyal cat, and I know you will pass these qualities onto Lightpaw."

Mia padded up to Foxtail, whose green eyes glinted with excitement his nose touched hers, and they both sat back down by the others. She held her breath. _This is where they start chanting the apprentice's name, right._ Looking around, she could tell that most cats weren't happy.

"Lightpaw, Lightpaw, Lightpaw"

Foxtail's mew rang out around the clearing, almost eerily. More cats began to join in to the chant, and she recognized Lakepaw, Lionpaw, Stonepaw, Moonpaw, and even Pebbletail had joined as well.

The quiet cheering ended almost as fast as it had started. Blizzardstar dismissed the meeting, before disappearing into his den.

"Lightpaw!" A voice cheered, as Lionpaw, Stonepaw, and Lakepaw padded up to the newly named apprentice. Lightpaw glanced across the camp, watching as Moonpaw started over to where they were, but was ushered away by the white tom she saw earlier.

"I knew he would let you stay." Lakepaw meowed happily. "It will be so nice to have another apprentice around." Her littermates nodded in agreement. She smiled at the three but was still unnerved by what had happened during the ceremony. Lightpaw noticed Foxtail talking with some other warriors at the edge of the camp, before walking over to her.

"Congratulations on becoming a part of the clan." He meowed to her. "Tomorrow morning I'll show you around the territory, but in the meantime, you should get some rest." He turned to the other apprentices. "Would you three mind getting Lightpaw settled into the apprentice den?" They all nodded eagerly. "Good." He purred in amusement before walking away.

She helped them carry moss into the den closest to the entrance to the camp. It was a large den compared to Blizzardstar's, with beds of moss pushed into the corners of the den.

"You can sleep here between me and Lakepaw." Stonepaw meowed as he dropped the bedding. "That way you don't have to hear Lionpaw snore all night."

"Hey!" Lionpaw responded defensively.

His siblings purred in amusement as she shuffled the moss into a nest that seemed as though it would do.

"Whose bed is that?" Lightpaw asked, gesturing towards a pile near the back of the den.

"Oh that's where Brairpaw sleeps,", Lakepaw replied. "She's a real grouch, I wouldn't mess with her." Almost as if on cue, a small dark brown she-cat pushed into the den, shoving her with a surprising amount of force.

"Don't get too comfortable." She hissed in Lightpaw's ear quietly as she stalked to the back of the den.

Lakepaw shot her an 'I told you' look.

Stonepaw cleared his throat. "We should probably get to sleep if we ever want to wake up before sunhigh" He mewed as he laid down in the next adjacent to hers. His siblings nodded as they both padded over to their separate nests.

Lightpaw laid down, trying to find a way to get comfortable. She stared into the darkness of the den, hearing the occasional snore. Would she ever truly feel comfortable here, knowing that she wasn't from this world, and knowing that she wasn't like them? She felt a tear slip down her cheek.

Only time would tell.

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **OW, this is a long chapter. I know it really isn't that long, but it kinda is compared to my other chapters. Sorry I haven't updated in a bit, my health has been kinda wonky (who tf says wonky) but I'm back! And now with recent circumstances, I hope I can update a bit more often now. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :D I had a ton of fun starting to introduce the main plot (sorry can't tell you any more than that hehe) and I'll start responding to reviews next chapter if I get some more.**

 **STOP DON'T CLICK OFF YET.**

 **I forgot to mention one little important thing**

 **guysIgotacat**

 **I'm so happy she's literally the sweetest thing alive, and after much consideration with my best friend to help me (shoutout to you if you are reading this) I named her Pickles.**

 **Sorry about that weird little tangent thing I just had to get that out that because I'm bragging about her to literally anyone that I can.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-snoot**


	7. Chapter Five

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｆｉｖｅ】

Lightpaw's dreams that night were muddled and confusing. They were a strange mix of the normal dreams that she would have had as a human, and surprisingly dreams of a cat. She woke up in a cold sweat, panting. _Well, that was a strange night._ Raising her head out of her nest, she had to survey her location to remember where she was. _That's right. You're a cat, who is now living with other cats, cats who talk, and you live in a seemingly false world. Catch up._ Stifling a groan, Lightpaw struggled to lift herself out of the moss.

 _Great. You woke up too early as a human, and now you do the same as a cat. Fantastic._ The clearing outside was completely black, aside from a few stars that were shining in the sky, leaving splotches of light. _The view out here really is incredible. Better than the city at least._ Trying to be as quiet as a human-turned cat possibly could, she padded out into the center of the camp. A few cats were awake, chatting and sharing tongues in the corners of the camp. Several of them wouldn't make eye contact with her.

 _Good to know their feelings haven't changed._

While still trying to be as invisible as she could, Lightpaw walked up to the fresh-kill pile as she grasped a small mouse between her jaws. _Will I ever get used to this?_ Using the method she had previously developed, Lightpaw chewed at the prey with her eyes tightly shut. Her mind wandered back to last night, and how hostile Briarpaw was. _Lakepaw did tell me she wasn't exactly the nicest. But she doesn't even know me._ She met the gaze of a young black and white she-cat that was staring at her. The she-cat's eyes widened when she had realized the apprentice had noticed, ducking her head.

Then again, none of these cats knew her.

Pushing away the remains of the mouse carcass, Lightpaw began to groom her pelt, internally wincing at how much she was acting like a cat. _I don't know If I'll ever get used to this either._

"I didn't think any apprentice woke up as early as I did." A voice meowed. She looked up to find Moonpaw padding over to her, a thrush in her jaws.

Lightpaw shook her head. "If I had a choice I would sleep in til' noon."

Moonpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement. "So, today's your first day as an apprentice." She studied her expression. "You don't seem all that excited."

She sighed. "I am, I guess I'm still kinda freaked out by the ceremony yesterday."

She gave her a sympathetic look. "Not really the most welcoming thing, is it?"

Lightpaw laughed drily. "Not really."

"Don't worry, they'll probably warm up to you soon enough."

The two continued to sit in silence, until Lightpaw decided to change the subject.

"So, what made you decide to become a medicine cat?"

She flicked her ear. "I know, it's not as interesting as being a warrior."

She widened her eyes. "You think that?"

Moonpaw shuffled her paws. "No, of course not, it's just most people do."

The dappled she-cat sat up. "Well, I don't." She mewed decidedly. "I mean, you save cats lives, right? That's worth a something, if not a ton."

"I did it because I wanted to do something to serve my clan." She smiled. "Plus, I'd much rather be collecting herbs than learning battle moves."

They both purred in amusement.

"Looks like someone wants to talk to you." She mewed as she flicked her tail towards the other side of camp.

Foxtail was emerging from the den, chatting with Pebbletail and another cat she didn't recognize.

"Lightpaw" He greeted. "Nice to see that my apprentice gets up at a reasonable hour." He shot a teasing look at Pebbletail. She returned the look by feigning a glare.

"I was actually just going to go wake them up," Pebbletail called over her shoulder as she padded towards the apprentice's den.

Foxtail smirked before turning to her. "Lightpaw, meet Smallnose. He's a good friend of mine." She dipped her head to the brown and white tom, who nodded in return. The tom murmured something to Foxtail before walking over a white she-cat.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Lightpaw meowed, not being able to hide the hint of excitement in her tone. _At least if we leave the camp I don't have to be scrutinized by cats all day._

He purred at the eagerness in her mew. "Glad to see that you're excited." He opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted by a yowling from the far side of the camp.

"Get up you lazy kittypets, the borders aren't going to patrol themselves!" I recognized the deputy Russetheart's yowl as the other three apprentices stumbled out of the den.

"I swear Russetheart I was just about to wake up." Lionpaw yawned.

"Totally" She responded in a sarcastic tone. The two cats walked off bickering, and Lightpaw couldn't help but let out a laugh. _I wonder who in their right mind paired those two together._

Almost as if he had heard her thoughts, Foxtail laughed. "Those two are an interesting pair, aren't they?"

She nodded in agreement. Could she be as comfortable as Lionpaw was around these cats? An unknown feeling washed over her. _Could I be…jealous?_

"Anyway," The russet tom mewed, cutting into her thoughts. "Are you ready to go?"

Her ears perked up in surprise. "Where?"

"Right, I never finished explaining. Today we're going to tour Thunderclan's territory, and our borders with the other clans."

lightpaw found herself being unexpectedly excited. _Hey, you're in the fantasy world you read about for years. You should at least enjoy it._

She nodded to Foxtail and she began to follow him out of camp. The she-cat looked back to find the other apprentices chatting, and once the noticed her they all smiled back.

The two padded out into the cold morning, the dew from the night before still fresh on the foliage of the forest. She drew in a deep breath. Growing up she'd never been out into any sort of forest unless you count the manmade grove of trees in one of the parks in her old neighborhood. Needless to say, her parents weren't outdoor-sy people.

The forest looked huge from her point her view; Trees were towering over the apprentice, their leaves merging with the other trees, making a leafy canopy.

They stopped at a small clearing, a little way away from the camp. It was smaller than the clearing she had woken up in but still surrounded by various bushes and other plants. Her paws shifted on the packed dirt beneath her. There were various paw marks in the dirt, and some miscellaneous scuff marks.

"This is the Training Hollow" Foxtail mewed as he walked through some brambles. "This is where the apprentices practice their battle moves." Anxiety fluttered in her stomach. How could she have forgotten that these cats fight each other on a monthly basis? It's basically the entire basis of the books for god's sake.

He must have noticed her expression because he began to pad out of the clearing.

"We should probably get going, it would be nice to get through the entire territory in one day.

Lightpaw blinked at him gratefully, and she continued to follow him through the undergrowth.

"So…" She trailed off, trying to break the silence. "When I first came here, Lakepaw said something about the other clans?"

Foxtail nodded. "There are three other clans, Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan. Each clan lives in a separate area around the lake." Even though she already knew all of this, she had to pretend like she didn't know a thing. "Windclan live on the moors, Riverclan lives around the River, and Shadowclan lives in the pine forest south of here."

Now, this was one thing that had always confused her growing up. Why did the clans all live separate from each other? She understood that each clan has its specific strengths, but wouldn't they all benefit more if they were one united force?

Forcing herself out of her thoughts, she tried to focus on what Foxtail was saying.

"Now, unfortunately, with all of the clans living in one area, things can get, well-" He paused. "-heated."

"What do you mean? I-I mean I get what you are getting at, that all four clans fight, but why?"

Foxtail stopped walking. "You know, in all my years of being alive, no one has ever asked me that." He turned to Lightpaw. "And you know what? I'm not quite sure I know why."

Her eyes widened. Whenever she had read about the numerous battles, it had never occurred to her that the cats were fighting, just to fight. She had always thought it was because of something, but maybe it was just because they needed to. These were animals, no matter how structured the clan system was.

"Well maybe," Lightpaw began "The clans fight because they need to because that's the only way they can stay civil with each other." Realizing that her words probably didn't make that much sense, considering that she wasn't supposed to know anything about them, except what Foxtail had just told her.

"Then again, I could be completely wrong."

Foxtail looked at his apprentice thoughtfully. "You're pretty wise for a cat of your age." She looked down at the ground. "I can also tell that you have spirit. That's something that no one can teach."

For the rest of the day, Foxtail continued to show her around the territory.

Foxtail looked up the sky, where the sun was just beginning to set.

"We should probably head back, it's getting late."

The two cats padded back into the camp, most of the cats already being asleep.

"You should probably get something to eat, then head to bed." She dipped her head to him before beginning to pad away.

"Oh and Lightpaw?"

She turned around to face him, her head cocked to one side.

"Yes?"

He smiled. "Good work today. I know it's not easy getting settled in. I'm sure the others will get used to you soon."

Lightpaw nodded to him, forcing a smile on her face. She could feel her stomach rumbling, but ignored it as she pushed her way into the apprentice's den. _I don't think I could stomach a raw bird tonight._ Letting out a sigh as she nestled into her nest, she laid her head on her dainty paws. _I hope Foxtail is right._

"Hey, Lightpaw" A voice whispered. She lifted her head to meet dark blue eyes flashing in the darkness.

"How was your first day?" Stonepaw meowed.

"You know," She paused. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Lightpaw couldn't tell if he smiled or not, but she assumed he did. She laid her head back down, and wrapped her tail around her.

 _It would take a while, but I think I could get used to being a Thunderclan cat_

* * *

【 Ｃｏｍｍｅｎｔ Ｒｅｐｌｉｅｓ】

 **Amberpetal:** EEE I nearly screamed when I saw you had commented! I'm a huge fan of your stories so this was like the coolest thing ever :P I'm so glad you like the story, and I would love if you submitted an OC!

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

gUys I'm actually uploading a decently long chapter that isn't like weeks after the last one! *snaps fingers* ANYWAY I have had way to much time on my hands recently, and I've really been enjoying coming up with the plot for the story. This being said, just to help me out, I created a list of who every cat in the clan was related to. I know, you're probably thinking 'oh well that's not that difficult' but oH it was. Multiple times I would find myself accidentally putting that a cat's sibling was also their mate, and it got kinda confusing. But I finally finished it (incest-free), and I was going to share it with you guys, but then I realized HOW MANY SPOILERS IT HAD IN IT. Like the entire-series would be spoiled things. Ya, so after that didn't work out I finally finished this chapter, which is kind of a filler chapter, so sorry if you don't really like that kind of stuff. Its more of Lightpaw/Mia getting used to being a part of Thunderclan.

(sorry I know this author's note is already kinda long but i have moree)

As I was developing the plot, I had the idea for a role that would appear later in the story, but I didn't really have an exact character associated for that role (sorry if that makes like zero sense) Buut, since that slot is open, I thought it would be kinda fun If I asked you guys for some OC's! All you need to do to enter is put your cats name, gender, what they look like, what clan their part of (has to be either Riverclan, Shadowclan, or Windclan) and a little bit of backstory and what they are like. Any characters will get put in the story, even if it isn't the one role I had planned. I do need cats of the other clans, and I thought this would be a cool way to do so :D


	8. Chapter Six

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｓｉｘ】

Lightpaw awoke in the same clearing that she had first been found in, the ground littered with stars. _Where am I?_ Sitting up, she began to pad around the clearing. It definitely had the same layout as the normal clearing, but it seemed off.

"Hello?" Lightpaw called out, her meow echoing. _Maybe It's because I didn't eat before I went to bed. That can cause weird dreams, right?"_

"Hello?" Lightpaw repeated again, her voice mixing with the echoes of her previous call.

 _This is certainly different than anything I've ever imagined._

Turning around, she noticed a new entrance in the clearing than she had recognized before. _What's that?_

Curiously, she padded through the ferns, all the while still taking notice of the weird starry atmosphere. Lightpaw yelped in shock as she saw a she-cat sitting in the center of the clearing she had just entered.

"Jesus you scared me." She mumbled under her breath. "Who are you?"

The starry she-cat sat motionlessly, her eyes closed.

The golden she-cat blinked in confusion. "Hello?"

Still nothing.

Lightpaw padded up to the she-cat and cautiously poked her with a golden paw. "Are you dead?" When the she-cat stayed indifferent, she began to get angry.

"Who are you?" She repeated, sinking her claws into the dirt.

She began to shout at the cat, all of her frustrations from the past few days seeming to flow out of her.

"Who are you?" Lightpaw shouted, her voice becoming hoarse from yelling.

She didn't know what she did, but the she-cat wordlessly opened her eyes, revealing two glowing balls of light. Lightpaw flinched, trying to avert her gaze from the now increasing light. A muffled sound surrounded her, growing louder and louder. The mysterious cat opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Lightpaw wake up!"

She let out a groan as she rolled over. "Wha-"

"Sorry to wake you up like that, but you were shaking" Lakepaw paused, a concerned look on her face. "And twitching"

Lightpaw sat up and tried to collect her thoughts "No-it's okay." The apprentices must have noticed her puzzled expression.

"What were you dreaming about?" Lionpaw asked.

"I'm not quite sure." The apprentice admitted. She looked around the den, noticing a certain cat wasn't there. "Where's Briarpaw?"

Lakepaw grinned. "She's out on a dawn patrol." She let out a sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to deal with Brairpaw's scrutinizing glares.

"Oh! That's right, I also woke you up because Foxtail wants to see us."

Lightpaw rolled her eyes in fake irritation at her. "Well, I wish you told me that earlier!" She meowed as she sat up out of her nest and began to push towards the entrance. With a _mrrow_ of laughter, Lakepaw bounded after her.

"There you both are." Pebbletail greeted.

Lakepaw bounced on her paws excitedly. "What are we doing today?"

Foxtail purred in amusement. "Since neither have you have gotten an opportunity to hunt yet, we decided it would be best to teach you both the hunting crouch at the same time."

Lakepaw's blue eyes sparkled happily. Lightpaw, on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled. _It's bad enough I have to eat dead animals, now I have to kill them too._ As soon as she had thought it, she instantly regretted it. _Stop being so self-centered, you have to hunt for the cats who brought you in._ Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she just managed to hear the last of what Foxtail was saying.

"-You both should probably grab something to eat before we go, we might be out there

awhile." Lakepaw nodded eagerly and bounded over to the fresh-kill pile, where they each chose a piece of prey.

"So," Lakepaw mumbled as she bit into her thrush. "What happened in your dream?"

Lightpaw shook her head. "I'm not quite sure. I was in the clearing where you guys first met me, but it seemed…" She trailed off, not quite knowing how to phrase what happened. "Off."

Lakepaw tilted her head to one side "What do you mean?"

She then tried to explain how the clearing had looked but failed miserably.

"Okay," Her friend mewed hesitantly. "What next?"

"Well, then I noticed a trail that isn't there in real life, so I went through it." Lightpaw mewed.

Lakepaw nodded, her confused expression slowly fading.

"There was this cat sitting there, and I kept asking her who she was, but she wouldn't answer. Eventually, she opened her eyes, and she…glowed."

Lakepaw pushed away the remains of the bird. "What did she look like?"

Lightpaw thought for a second. "I couldn't really tell, but her pelt was made up of stars, and-"

"WHAT?" Lakepaw exclaimed, her eyes wide. She flattened her ears once she realized how loud she said that. "You saw a Starclan cat?" She hissed in a quieter tone.

She shuffled her paws. "…Starclan?" _Aren't those the dead cats that screw up everyone's lives?_

The grey she-cat rolled her eyes. "Yes _Starclan,_ they're our warrior ancestors."

The she-cat nodded slowly. "Okay…so why is that such a big deal?"

"They normally only talk to medicine cats… I wonder what they were trying to tell you?" She wondered aloud.

Lightpaw shrugged. "I don't know. Why would they talk to me, I'm not even a clan cat."

Lakepaw looked like she was going to say more, but before she could Foxtail walked up to the duo.

"Are you guys done yet? It would be nice to leave soon."

She nodded quickly, flashing Lakepaw a 'we'll talk about this later' look.

The two followed the two warriors out of camp, and into the forest.

"Now," Pebbletail began. "There are two important things that are crucial to having a proper hunters crouch." She lowered herself down so that she was balancing her weight on all four paws.

"One; make sure that you are light on your feet. Being closer to the ground should help you distribute your body weight equally, which will make your pawsteps quieter."

"Two."

Pebbletail shifted her paws so that her legs were slightly bunched under her, but not completely tucked beneath her.

"Make sure that when you're ready to pounce, your paws get into just the right position for when you pounce." With that, the she-cat tensed her muscles, and pounced, landing neatly onto a leaf.

Pebbletail shook her tabby pelt before facing us. "Got it?"

Lakepaw nodded eagerly, kneeling down into the crouch, her plumy tail waving from side to side.

Foxtail came up behind the apprentice and shoved her tail downwards so it was straight with his paw. "You're going to scare off all the prey if you stalk up to them like that," amusement in his tone.

Lakepaw, unaffected by his words, began to slowly pad forward, her pawsteps quiet, before launching herself forward. She let out a surprised _mrrow_ as she over-shot her leap, and landed with a thud into the ferns.

"Oww," She mumbled, holding a white-colored paw up to her face.

Lightpaw stifled a purr of amusement. _I probably won't be any better._

"What did you do wrong there?" Pebbletail questioned, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

Lakepaw shuffled her paws. "I think I might have overshot a little."

Pebbletail nodded. "Good."

"Now that you've tried it, see if you can scent anything." Foxtail mewed.

The grey apprentice raised her pink nose into the air, sniffing for scents. Thinking that it wouldn't hurt if she did as well. She was met with an overwhelming amount of smells all hitting her nose at the same time. She nearly gagged, since she wasn't used to this. Of course, Lightpaw had always heard that cats had an amazing sense of smell, but clearly, she didn't realize just how powerful it was. The scents rose up around her, and it was difficult to separate one from another.

"Wait, I smell something!" Lakepaw meowed eagerly as she sniffed around. She gestured to the other side of the clearing. "Mouse."

Pebbletail nodded in approval. "Let's see if you can catch it this time."

The grey apprentice crouched down, her darker underbelly almost brushing the forest floor. She slowly crept forward, her gaze still intent on her prey. With a leap, she landed a few feet away, her paws skidding on the ground, and her prey grasped between her two front paws. She delivered a swift bite to the small animal's neck, and it went limp.

"Congratulations" Pebbletail purred as she stood beside Lakepaw. "The catch wasn't perfect, of course" she added. Her words didn't seem to faze the apprentice. She bounded over to the other apprentice, the mouse dangling from her jaws.

"mfhm look!" she mumbled. "I caught something other than a leaf!" Lightpaw gave her friend a smile as she tried not to look at the mouse carcass. _She probably wouldn't like it if I barfed on her first catch._

Ignoring the unappealing feelings that were stirring in her stomach, she turned to face the warriors.

"Lightpaw, see if you can scent anything."

She gulped, hoping they couldn't see the uncertainty she was feeling, and she closed her eyes and stuck her pink nose into the air. The same scents she had smelled before greeted her, but this time it was a little less overwhelming. Lightpaw managed to pinpoint a specific scent, one that smelled dried leaves and the earthy tones of the forest. She bent down awkwardly in the crouch she had been shown before, trying her hardest to not make any noise. She slowly began to stalk forward, keeping her attention on the scent. As she peered over a patch of grass, she recognized the small form of a squirrel, its eyes alert. _How has it not noticed me already?_

Then, she suddenly remembered something she had once read in one of the books, about how they test the air to make sure their scent isn't being carried in the wrong direction. Lightpaw tested the air carefully, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when she realized that she should be somewhat safe. _At least I'm doing something right._

Then she froze. The squirrel froze, its round eyes staring up at her in fear. Lightpaw stared back at it, whatever knowledge she had just learned about hunting was gone, her mind blank. She couldn't do this, she couldn't kill an animal. They both sat there for what seemed like an eternity before the squirrel quickly scurried away into the forest.

Lightpaw couldn't help but let out a small sigh as she joined the others. Foxtail's expression slightly faltered when he realized she wasn't coming back with anything. Her tail drooped. _Great, the first thing I do as a cat of Thunderclan is mess something up._

They must have noticed her downcast expression because Lakepaw was the first to speak up.

"Hey," She meowed, padding over to her friend. "It's alright, at least you didn't sprain your paw trying to catch a twig."

She gave her a half-hearted smile as she shuffled her paws.

Pebbletail smiled at her kindly. "It's okay, I didn't catch my first piece of prey until a moon after I was apprenticed."

"And hey," Foxtail chimed in. "You did test which way the wind was going, and your hunter's crouch was nearly perfect."

Lightpaw felt warmth bubble up in her chest. At least they weren't patronizing her. Or maybe they were, she couldn't really read cat emotions that well yet.

"Well," Pebbletail mewed as she glanced up at the sky. It was fading into a deep orange, the bright blue of the daytime slowly fading away. "We should probably head back to camp, we'll continue training tomorrow." She began to head back to camp, Lakepaw close on her heels. Foxtail began to pad after the duo as well.

"Foxtail?"

He turned back to her. "Yes, Lightpaw?"

It still felt strange to be called that. She still felt as though it was her name, but It almost felt like when someone calls you your real name, without knowing you go by a nickname.

"I was wondering if I could stay out a bit longer." His eyes widened in surprise. "I-I mean, I'll come back, I'm not trying to run away or anything."

He purred in amusement. "I'm sure you won't, but make sure to be back well before moonhigh." Foxtail's expression softened. "I know it's probably difficult, trying to fit into a new place and all," He paused. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

Lightpaw gave him a genuine smile, that had a hint of sadness in it. _I wish I could, but you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you who I really am._

He began to walk towards camp, his silhouette framed by the sunset.

"Oh, and Lightpaw? Training will still be bright and early tomorrow, I expect you to be awake and ready." With that, he promptly disappeared into the undergrowth.

When she had made sure the russet-furred tom had left, she let out a sigh, one that she had been holding in for a while. Why did she, of all people have to become a cat? Lightpaw certainly wasn't any good at it, she couldn't even hunt properly. She clawed at the ground in frustration.

 _If only I could show them that I can be like them._

Then everything when white.

 **Now I know what you're thinking.** _ **Oh look, the author's already written about four pages, so let's just call it a day and kill off the main character.**_

 **Hmm sorry, you can't get rid of her just yet.**

Lightpaw let out a small gasp as her vision returned. She blinked rapidly, trying to get her vision in focus. She was still standing in a clearing, almost exact to the one she was in now. The she-cat could hear voices all around her, but they were muffled, and she strained to make out voices. There were five cats sitting in the clearing, none of which she recognized. They seemed to be talking to each other, but the words were directed towards herself. She tried to get up and move, but her body was steadfast, almost as though she had no control over it. Lightpaw heard another voice, this one somewhat clearer than the rest, but she still couldn't understand it. She felt her muscles bunch up, as she crouched down in a similar fashion as how she had before.

 _What is going on?_

Lightpaw could feel herself moving slowly at a constant pace, the noises of the forest surrounding her like a hug. With a large leap, she lunged forward, and grasped something between her paws, before swiftly killing it. Her mind was racing, she was herself, but at the same time, she wasn't. Her vision began to go out of focus, the voices slowly started fading away, until there was silence. Then the world went black.

Lightpaw sat up with a jolt, her thoughts jumbled. Her heart seemed to be pounding, almost as though it would pop out of her chest. She looked around. She was back in the clearing, with the sun just beginning to set. None of the cats were there. _I think I've officially lost it._ She thought to herself as she paced around the clearing, trying to come up with some explanation for what just happened.

Lightpaw felt something on her face, and she swiped a small paw underneath her nose in curiosity. A small droplet of blood landed on the forest floor, and she backed away. Her breath hitched in her chest. _Am I dying?_ She shook her head frantically, which probably wasn't helping her spontaneous nosebleed. Swallowing, she laid down and shut her eyes tightly. She was dreaming, and she didn't just somehow just imagine herself in a different setting and then wake up again. Lightpaw felt a throbbing pain slowly set in behind her eyes, and she slowly picked herself up. The throbbing was getting worse, and with each paw step she took the world seemed to shake. Slowly, the apprentice began to make her way back to camp, not being able to find an answer for what was tugging at the back of her mind.

 _What is wrong with me?_

 _And why am I here?_

* * *

【 Ｃｏｍｍｅｎｔ Ｒｅｐｌｉｅｓ】

 **Amy Is On A Sugar Rush:** I'm so glad you like the story so far :D And thank you so much for the OC, I love him, he will definitely be showing up at some point in the future... Oh and don't worry, I totally ship LightxStone. I mean uh, you didn't hear that from me.

 **PheonixRune:** Thanks so much for the review :D I'm glad you're enjoying it!

 **Sad Cannoli:** First of all, thank you so much for all of your reviews! I loved reading them :D As for the family tree, I probably will be releasing it at some point once the spoilers have passed, It was an actual pain to make, so I hope it will come in handy. Also, I would love to have some OC's! If you have any, feel free to PM them to me if you want, although they probably will end up being in shadowclan. Thank you so much for the compliments :D I'm glad my writing style and characters aren't awful, that was one of my worst fears when starting out on fanfiction. Oh, and your theory, it may or may not be correct. I will say one thing, the prefix definitely has something to do with it. And thanks for pointing out those errors! I will be sure to fix them ASAP! Sorry this response was so long, I thought it might be easier to respond to your reviews in one big ol paragraph :D

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has favorited and followed the story! It means a ton :D Also just a lil reminder that I will be responding to the reviews in every chapter.**

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 ***snaps fingers***

 **Guess who's been gone for a super long time without uploading?**

 **mE.**

 **And the sad part is, I don't really have an excuse, Well, I take that back. Fanfiction wouldn't let me have anything to do with my account for a few days, that was just swell. But now I'm back! And I'm so sorry I was gone for so long, hopefully now I should be good to go, since wow am I loving this story right now. Like in my (humble) opinion, the story is now really starting to get going, and I really hope you guys like this chapter. It's really long, and I tried to make it as interesting as possible. It starts out kinda boring, but then it picks up really quick.**

 **um but before you start reading, I have to answer some of the WONDERFUL comments I got on the last chapter. I actually live off of reading the comments, its so fun to just see what other people think of the story, and even some theories about it. Feel free to comment on this chapter, it doesn't even have to be about the story for all I care, I love reading them :D**


	9. Chapter Seven

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｓｅｖｅｎ】

 _You know what? Life in Thunderclan isn't all that bad._ Sure, most of the cats here didn't trust her, and half of the clan didn't speak to her either, but you know, nothing new. At least as a cat, she didn't have to worry about school or anything, and the pressure to fit into society was almost non-existent. All the clan cats really do is eat, hunt, sleep, and patrol their borders. Although she will admit, there is a lot more drama than she originally thought. For the past moon and a half, she had mostly been the topic of interest. Most of the cats were speculating where she had come from, some say that she was a kittypet, others were convinced she was a loner who happened to get lucky when fighting a fox. _I'd rather them think all of those things, as long as none of them find out who, or what I really am._

 _Now that would be a disaster._

"Alright, does everyone know what to do?"

Lightpaw blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. _I have to stop doing that._ Stonepaw and Lionpaw were standing in front of her, their heads bent in discussion. Today Russetheart was teaching the apprentices battle moves, which had given her the opportunity to take her distaste out on Lightpaw. Basically, the entire objective was 'everyone against Lightpaw', accept her excuse was that it would teach the young she-cat how to take on multiple cats at a time. _Because you always team up two clan-born cats against the newbie._

Finally, the two brothers faced her, both sets of eyes gleaming with excitement. She gulped nervously. _How could they not win?_

"Lionpaw, Stonepaw," Russetheart mewed, as she circled around them like a shark. "Are you ready?"

They both nodded eagerly.

"Go!"

Lightpaw stood there like a deer in the headlights, her feet seemingly glued to the ground. Both cats charged at her, Stonepaw weaving behind her, Lionpaw attacking her from the front. Of course, the only noise she could make was a small yelp, before she landed on the ground with a thud.

Russetheart, who was on the other side of the clearing, apparently didn't see what happened.

"Lionpaw, what did you do?"

The tom's eyes widened. "Nothing! All I did was hit her once, and she just…" he stammered. "Fell over?"

Russetheart snorted. "I would say nice job on your victory, but I'm not sure you did anything." She turned to the she-cat, her eyes filled with amusement. "Lightpaw?"

Lightpaw ducked her head in embarrassment while scrambling to her paws. "Yes?"

"I take it you want to try again?"

"Can I?"

"Of course, but you might want to come up with a plan first." She meowed dryly. "Oh, and while we're at it, why don't we make this a competition?"

Stonepaw, who had been sitting behind Lightpaw, perked up his ears in interest. "A competition?

"Yes, whoever wins gets first pick at being chosen for the gathering."

The other two apprentices began to murmur in excitement, but she could feel the dread pooling in her stomach. For the past few weeks she had gotten kinda psyched up for the possibility of going to the gathering, but now, her chances were almost non-existent.

"Lightpaw, are you ready?"

She nodded slowly, before getting into a crouch. Stonepaw and Lionpaw were apparently much more prepared, for they were already in position.

"Go!"

The apprentice's mind was racing as she clumsily dodged their blows. They had a good strategy, she'd give them that. The two siblings wove around her, each one taking turns at trying to attack her. They only thing she could possibly do was try to stay upright. _How long can I keep this up?_

After a few minutes, It was clear the two toms were getting tired, their footsteps slightly sluggish. A small hurrah bubbled in her chest. _I might actually pull this off._ Lionpaw tried to sweep one last blow towards Lightpaw's feet, and as she tried to scamper out of the way, she felt her claws scooping up the dirt of the training hollow, and dust flew in the toms face.

"What the-" he wheezed.

Stonepaw opened his mouth to speak but was too late. The grey cat skidded in the dirt before tripping over his brother, landing with a thud.

"Well, that wasn't at all what I expected." Russetheart gazed at them, her eyes shifting from Stonepaw and Lionpaw to Lightpaw. "Congratulations"

She dipped her head awkwardly. "Thanks" Lightpaw padded over to Lionpaw. "Sorry about that."

"No biggie" The tom coughed, as he shook off Stonepaw. "I let you win."

She purred in amusement. "Sure, let's go with that." The dappled she-cat couldn't help but feel proud. She had just defeated two clan apprentices in a fight! Although her methods were… unconventional, a win is a win nonetheless.

They began to walk back to camp, the sun just beginning to set in the rose-colored sky.

"I hope we still get to go to the gathering though," Stonepaw thought aloud hopefully.

"Yeah, at least then I would have someone to talk to." She agreed.

"I've heard so many things about the other clans as a kit," Lionpaw meowed.

"Like what?"

"Well," He began. "All Riverclan does is eat, Windclan is made up of cowards, and Shadowclan cats are evil."

"Wow," Lightpaw breathed. "You _totally_ aren't exaggerating, huh?"

Stonepaw snorted which earned him a shove from his sibling.

"Hey, I was just repeating what I had heard."

The trio purred in amusement as they entered the camp. The clearing was bustling with activity, kits were scampering around the clearing, warriors chatting in the shade, and the elders complaining. Lakepaw, who was carrying a bundle of moss, set it down quickly and hurried over to where they were.

"Hey, guys!" She meowed. "How was training?"

Lightpaw stifled a laugh. "I beat both of your brothers in battle training."

"Really?" The grey cat giggled. "Good job."

Lionpaw rolled his eyes as he trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, selecting a squirrel from the top. "Whatever."

The three collectively snorted as they joined him, Lakepaw choosing a mouse and Stonepaw taking a crow. Lightpaw carefully plucked a thrush from the edge of the pile. Birds were the only kind of prey she could stomach, probably because that was the one animal she had also eaten as a human.

"So" Lakepaw mumbled. "Why were you fighting both of them at once anyway?"

Lightpaw shook her head. "Russetheart's excuse was that 'it prepared me for a real fight'. I think she just enjoys seeing me mess up."

 _Okay maybe that was a little harsh, but really, who pairs up two clan cats against one cat who doesn't know what they're doing?_

Lionpaw gave his friend a sympathetic glance. "Seriously, what is her problem with you?"

"I don't know" Lightpaw began. "It seems like everyone has some strange vendetta against me."

We all ate in silence for a little while, before Stonepaw spoke up.

"Well, at least you get to go to the gathering."

Lakepaw's ears perked up. "Really! Me too!"

She grinned in response. _At least I won't be alone_.

"Pebbletail said I could go if I cleaned out the dens!" The tabby meowed eagerly.

She glanced at her downcast siblings. "Hey, who knows, you guys might still get to go."

Almost on cue, Blizzardstar's voice rang out across the camp. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a clan meeting!"

The clan merged together beneath the ledge, staring up at their leader expectantly.

"As most of you know, it is time to announce the cats who will be joining me at the Gathering tonight."

An excited murmur broke out among the cats.

"The cats who will be joining me are; Cloudwhisker, Russetheart, Dewfern, Sparrowfeather, Mapleleaf, Mossclaw, Rosemoon, Foxtail, Lionpaw, Lakepaw, Stonepaw, and Lightpaw.

The cats he mentioned slowly grouped together, all talking among themselves, a few of them shooting glances at her.

"isn't it too soon?"

"What is he thinking"

"What will the other clans think?"

" _He needs to let go"_

Lightpaw's breath hitched. _What?_ All of the rest of the remarks made sense to her, but the last one really confused her. The she-cat who had said it, an elderly brown and white cat was instantly silenced by another she-cat, who looked around frantically before meeting the apprentice's gaze. Her amber eyes widened before going back to the conversation in hushed tones. Before she could dwell on what happened any longer, the other apprentices ushered her into the line of the cats who were departing from camp.

"I'm so excited!" Lakepaw mewed. "I wonder what the other clans are like?"

The three of them broke into discussion as her mind wandered back to what she had heard, not realizing that she had fallen to the back of the line.

"Oh, uh, its Lightpaw, isn't it?"

Lightpaw glanced up to find a young Black and White she-cat next to her, her paws shuffling anxiously. It was clear that she was uncomfortable talking to her.

"Yup."

"Well, I would just like to apologize if you are feeling unwelcome in the clan." She meowed earnestly.

"Oh, uh thanks," Lightpaw responded, surprise in her tone.

"I'm Rosemoon by the way."

"Nice to meet you." She replied with a smile.

We walked in comfortable silence for a while, and she began to take in her surroundings. It was pretty evident that in whatever universe she was in, the she-cat was placed in a time period after the books because the clans were settled around the lake. The water lapped at the shore, the soft burble of the waves fitting into the nighttime atmosphere.

The only slightly difficult thing about traveling to the island was crossing the tree that bridged the gathering area to the mainland. As a human, she never really _hated_ water, but as a cat, now that was a different story.

Lightpaw gulped anxiously as she stepped cautiously onto the slick surface. The tree was slippery, any traction that was once there had been wiped away by countless pawsteps.

 _Wait, didn't a cat get squished by this tree or something?_

She shook her dappled fur, trying not to worry about it so much. Shutting her eyes, she quickly raced across the log, and let out a sigh of relief when she reached the other side.

 _Wow._

Lightpaw had never seen so many cats in all of her life. There had to be at least 30, all of them of different shapes and sizes. They were all talking amongst themselves, some laughing, some quietly chatting.

The treetops loomed overhead, blocking out the twinkling stars up above. The young cat glanced at the moon, and the light seemed to wash out the clearing. The light slowly became brighter, until she had to shut her eyes completely. _How is no one else seeing this?_ Lightpaw could feel the heat on her eyelids until it suddenly stopped.

"Hello?" She called out wearily. "Hello?"

The sound eventually returned to her ears, and she was seemingly still surrounded by cats. They were all calling out to each other, and a group of younger cats nearby we're having an argument.

"Uh, shut up Thornpaw, you have no clue what you're doing."

"Oh come on Snowpaw give me a chance!"

The two apprentices, one a darker brown tom with white paws, the other a fluffy long-haired cream-colored she-cat continued to argue.

"Lakepaw?" Lightpaw called. "Lionpaw? Stonepaw?"

No one responded, her cries deaf to their ears. She looked up to search for the leaders, but mentally facepalmed when she remembered that she had no clue what they would look like. A giant broad-shouldered black tom stood facing the crowd of cats, his voice booming around the island.

 _What is he saying?_

She tried her best to listen, to get some clue of why she was here, but she couldn't make out his words. They were almost muffled, but by the reactions, Lightpaw saw on the other cat's faces, whatever he was saying wasn't good.

"What's going-"

She was cut off by a loud howling noise, and the rustling of the trees. The wind began to pick up, and she had to sink her claws into the ground just to stay put. The other cats in the clearing didn't move, almost as though they weren't affected by the sudden wind. Lightpaw trudged against the force of the wind, until she was next to another group of cats.

She poked out her paw and tried to get a russet furred tom's attention, but like the others, he just kept on whispering among his group

"Hey, who are you?" She shouted against the wind, her voice barely there. He then turned around and looked straight through her.

"I'm right her-"

Lightpaw's eyes widened as his slender form began to dissipate.

"Oh god, uh, I'm really sorry" She panicked as she realized he was gone. She flipped around, trying not to panic more than she already was. All of the other cats at the gathering were disappearing as well, swept away by the harsh winds.

The she-cat could feel herself slipping along the dirt as she desperately tried to stay afoot.

Her surroundings began to flash, images of different cats dancing along her line of vision. She could feel her fur buffing against the wind, as a chill was sent through her body.

And then, as abrupt as it had began, it stopped. Lightpaw could still hear the wind ruffling through the trees. Her eyes widened. There was a cat sitting in the center, her starry fur reflecting in the moonlight.

"You again?" Lightpaw cried as she ran towards her, tripping over various twigs scattered around the clearing.

Her head, which was previously turned to a patch of grass, which was where a group of cats was sitting moments before. They was a look of sadness in her eyes. It almost looked like… Jealousy? Longing?

The she-cat turned to Lightpaw, her gaze still sad, but now filled with what seemed to be helplessness and urgency.

"I'm sorry" she whispered quietly.

Lightpaw staggered back a step.

"What?"

The wind began to roar again, this time louder and more aggressive than before. She dug her claws into the dirt, as her surroundings began to warp and change. The mysterious cat gave one more glance in her direction, before dissipating into the howling wind.

And then everything went black.

"Lightpaw?" A voice hissed quietly. "Get up, your scaring me"

"What?" She mumbled groggily. Lightpaw was currently sprawled out on the islands grassy floor, with Lakepaw and two other she-cats looming over her curiously.

"You just started shaking, and then you crumpled to the ground."

She staggered to her feet. "Really?"

Her friend nodded vigorously."We've been trying to hide you from the other cats" She meowed sheepishly. "Just so they wouldn't come bother you."

"We?"

She gestured to the other cats crowded around her. "This is Frostpaw" A small fluffy white she-cat stood at her right, her green eyes eyeing her cautiously.

"And this is her sister, Amberpaw." Her sister was Slightly larger, her smooth tabby fur gleamed in the moonlight.

Lightpaw dipped her head in acknowledgment.

"Is that blood?" Frostpaw cried before backing away.

"I'm sure it's nothing" Lightpaw mumbled, embarrassed, before wiping it away.

 _Great. Glad to know that still happens._

"Are you alright?" Lakepaw asked worriedly. "I can get help-"

"No it's fine, this happens a lot."

She could tell all of the she-cats were still on edge, but they dropped the subject.

"Anyway, what clan are you from?"

The tabby shuffled her paws. "Riverclan"

"Oh cool" Lightpaw began, before she was cut off by a loud yowl.

"Windclan has been thriving" A spotted tom began, his gaze looking over the crowd. "Three queens have recently moved into the nursery, and hopefully, we will have an even stronger clan come leaf-fall. Various meows of approval rang across the clearing. The tom then stepped down, and a small grey she-cat took his place.

"That's Miststar, and the one who just stepped down was Spottedstar" Lakepaw whispered.

The she-cat turned and faced forwards, her blue eyes anxiously fluttering around the gathering of cats.

"Riverclan is doing well." She meowed softly before stepping down.

Amberpaw and Frostpaw shared a confused glance. _I wonder what's up with Riverclan._

A black and orange tortoiseshell she-cat gave Miststar a concerned glance, before stepping onto the branch.

"Shadowclan has had a healthy start to New-Leaf, and we welcome Pinepaw and Oakpaw as new apprentices."

The crowd let out a hearty cheer as Blizzardstar weaved around the Shadowclan leader. "Thunderclan has recently welcomed four new apprentices as part of the clan, Lakepaw, Stonepaw, and Lionpaw."

The cats began to mumble amongst themselves, some yowling in approval, some wondering why he left out a name.

 _Am I really that much of a burden?_

"That concludes this moon's gathering" Spottedstar called out as he jumped nimbly down the tree, with the rest of the leaders following him. Miststar led riverclan towards the bridge, ignoring her warrior's questions as to why she shared so little. Spottedstar signaled to his clan, and then soon followed them.

"Hey, where's Blizzardstar?" Lakepaw asked as she looked around. "I can't see him anywhere." Russetheart padded up to the two apprentices. "It's time to leave"

Lakepaw gave her a confused glance but stepped in line anyway. "Hey," Stonepaw whispered to Lightpaw. "Isn't it strange?"

She turned to face him. "You have to be more specific." The golden she-cat responded sarcastically.

"Well," he began. "Blizzardstar leaves you out of the announcement," He must of saw her wince, because he gave her a sympathetic look. "Sorry about that by the way"

"No problem" She mumbled in response.

"Plus" The grey tom continued. "I saw him run off with Ravenstar after the gathering ended."

Lightpaw's eyes widened. "What?"

"Right?" he exclaimed. "Weird, isn't it?"

Both of cats heads snapped around as she heard someone call his name. Stonepaw flashed her an apologetic look. "I should probably see what that's about." She flicked her tail in goodbye before he scurried off.

She looked around the clearing absentmindedly, flashes of her vision still fresh in her mind.

"You could tell me if you did it, I wouldn't be upset." Someone meowed helplessly in a hushed tone.

"Blizzardstar, how many times have I told you, Shadowclan did nothing."

 _Blizzardstar?_

Lightpaw searched for the source of the noise, before realizing that the two leaders were right behind her. The tortoiseshell, who she assumed was Ravenstar, gave him a slightly apologetic look.

"I know you are still hurting, and I know-" The she-cats amber eyes flashed before returning to the conversation in a quieter tone.

 _Ugh, I thought cat hearing was supposed to be great._ The apprentice leaned closer to where the conversation was coming from, but even then she could only hear bits and pieces.

"But you have to get out of the past. Yes, it was a shame what happened, but it couldn't have been prevented."

"You don't know that!" Emotion filled his tone, and she could practically feel the pain in his voice.

"What if I had-"

"No" The tortoiseshell interrupted. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you again."

The anger in her voice subsided a bit. "You see that clan out there?" The Shadowclan leader gestured to the cats in the clearing. "That is your future, and they depend on you. You have to be strong, if not for you, for them."

For a moment the speckled tom looked as though he was going to continue arguing, but he let out a sigh.

"You're right."

Ravenstar let out a purr. "Aren't I always?" She licked the top of his head before turning back to her clan.

"Oh, I forgot to mention-why did you only call out three names at the gathering?"

Lightpaw desperately tried to hear his answer but was swept away by a tom.

"What are you doing" The Cloudwhisker hissed in a hushed tone.

"I was uh-just-" She stammered, trying to come up with an excuse to why she was so clearly eavesdropping on the conversation."

"Light-" He began but then but himself off. "There are many things about this clan that you couldn't even begin to comprehend." He hissed. "And the sooner you stop trying to figure them out, the better." He paused as he tried to stifle the anger in his voice. "Do you understand?" She nodded frantically, although something was screaming in the back of her mind not to.

His tense posture relaxed slightly. "Go back with the rest of the clan." His blue gaze couldn't seem to look her in the eye. She nodded again, before running over to Lionpaw and the others.

"Hey!" he greeted her happily. "So how was your first gathering?" There were about a million things she wanted to ask, and a million more she wanted to know.

"Great" Lightpaw replied, putting on a fake smile. He returned her smile before he began to go on about the cats he met from other clans, while she stared at the ground, her mind racing.

Cloudwhisker's words stuck in her mind.

" _There are so many things about this clan that you couldn't even begin to comprehend, and the sooner you stop trying to figure them out, the better."_

But unfortunately for Lightpaw, something told her that she won't be able to keep that promise to the medicine cat.

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Okay.**

 **Let me just start off by saying how sorry I am for not posting this sooner, but I have a good explanation.**

 **Kind of.**

 **wOW the past few months have been rough. School is over (yay), so hopefully I should have more time to work on this story. I really do enjoy writing this story, and I've already kind of mapped out chapters and stuff, and the overall plot is pretty much developed at this point, so that makes things a lot easier for me. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows that you guys have left on the story, they mean the world to me.**


	10. Chapter Eight

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｅｉｇｈｔ】

"Ugh-God, Pouncepaw do you really have to sleep there?"

"Excuuuuse me for wanting to be comfortable!" The pale ginger tom replied, with an emphasis on the 'cuse'. "Plus, this really is the only place where I can sleep."

His brother let out a snort. "Why do I not believe that."

Pouncepaw frowned. "I don't like you very much right now."

Bearpaw grinned back cheekily. "The feeling is mutual"

Lightpaw heard Briarpaw let out a groan of distaste before curling tighter into a ball. For once, she agreed with the ill-tempered cat. Sandmist's kits had moved into the apprentices den only a moon prior, and it had been like this every night since. As you could probably imagine, the den was pretty cramped, and Lightpaw avoided being in the den at all costs. Training was going somewhat well, she had improved her hunting and fighting skills, although the latter still wasn't that great. Most of the clan cats had gotten over Lightpaw at some point, except for a stubborn few who still looked at her like she was an alien, which just happened to include Cloudwhisker. She hadn't spoken to the medicine cat since he caught her eavesdropping on Ravenstar and Blizzardstar's conversation. This wasn't because _she_ was avoiding him, oh no. He simply wouldn't look at her. Every time she would go into the medicine den to chat with Moonpaw, he would act like the apprentice didn't exist. Which she supposed for most would be fine, but she still couldn't shake their conversation from the night of the gathering. Lightpaw still desperately wanted answers, but it was evident that no one would give her any, especially him.

She let out an over-exaggerated sigh as she heaved herself to my paws. _If I stay here any longer I'm gonna go insane._ She padded out of the den, feeling the nighttime air ruffle her fur. She started walking over to the fresh-kill pile, but stopped when she heard coughing.

A russet tom was hunched over slightly, and he was coughing loudly.

Lightpaw winced sympathetically. "That sounded like it hurt"

Foxtail turned to face his apprentice. "It kinda did" He wheezed.

"Have you gone to the the medicine den?" She questioned as she began grooming her pelt.

Her mentor shuffled his paws. "Pebbletail has been nagging me to do it for the past day and a half"

Lightpaw's ears pricked up. "Foxtail, you might be sick!"

He let out a raspy purr. "You sound just like her."

She flicked her tail good-naturedly. "Seriously, why haven't you seen Cloudwhisker yet?"

"It's just…" He trailed off absent-mindedly. "With all the conflict going on with Windclan, I wanted to get in some extra training time with you to perfect some battle moves."

The she-cat tilted her head in confusion. "I didn't think it had gotten that bad. Yeah, they did increase their patrols along the border, but do you really think it will lead to battle?"

He nodded. "Windclan has always been trying to take Thunderclan territory, I guess they've just stepped it up recently."

There was silence for a bit, before she finally replied.

"Don't let me stop you, I can train with another warrior, it'll be fine."

The tom looked borderline uncomfortable when she mentioned that, but slowly responded. "Are you sure? It won't seem like I'm letting you down as a mentor?"

Lightpaw let out a laugh. "Of course not. I feel like I would be letting you down as an apprentice If I let you die from a cold because of me."

He laughed, before breaking into another coughing fit. "Fine, Fine." He rasped. "I'll send someone out tomorrow to teach you some moves."

She nodded in return, before Pebbletail padded up to the two.

"Foxtail I can hear you wheezing all the way across the camp!" The tabby she-cat scolded. "I hope you were on your way to the medicine den!"

"He sure was" Lightpaw chimed in. The two she-cats shared a look of amusement.

"I swear" He mumbled under his breath playfully as he licked Pebbletail's shoulder affectionately.

"Ewww" She meowed as she squirmed away. "You'll get me sick!" The three purred, before the two warriors headed to the medicine den.

Lightpaw turned away from the fresh-kill pile, suddenly without an appetite. She internally groaned. _Back to the apprentices den, I guess._

She must have been more tired than she thought, because as soon as she hit the ground I was asleep.

Lightpaw woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and of course, Bearpaw and Pouncepaw arguing.

 _Great._

She let out a yawn, before sleepily squeezing out of the den, into the blinding morning sunlight.

"Morning!" Lakepaw greeted as Lightpaw padded over to them. "How didja sleep?"

The golden-furred cat let out a single grunt, before Stonepaw burst into laughter.

"What's so funny" She meowed in a monotone voice.

"Not much of a-" He wheezed in between laughs "-morning person,huh?"

Lightpaw rolled her eyes.

"Anyway" he breathed, trying to control his laughter. "Guess what I get to do today." He meowed as I selected a thrush from the fresh kill pile.

"Whgf" His sister mumbled through her squirrel.

"I get to go to the Windclan Camp!" He exclaimed happily.

"Wait what?" Lightpaw's ears perked up in surprise, even though she had been half asleep for 75% of the conversation.

"Yeah, isn't it exciting?" The grey tom bounced on his paws. "Blizzardstar decided to send out a patrol to try and negotiate with them. He thinks it'll prevent a battle."

"Whatever works, right?" Lakepaw meowed absentmindedly as she buried the remains of her meal.

She shook her pelt anxiously. "Do you think if things go on the way they are there will be one?"

Stonepaw shrugged. "I don't know, at least Blizzardstar's trying to stop it."

"Speaking of Blizzardstar," Lakepaw meowed "Have you guys noticed he's been acting kind of…" she trailed off. "I don't know, weird recently?"

Her littermate nodded in agreement. "Yeah, ever since the gathering he's been off."

Lightpaw thought back to that night. The normally brave and upbeat leader seemed weak, almost helpless.

"Maybe he's just stressed? I mean he is the leader and all." As much as she wanted to believe what she said, she just couldn't. It all seemed so uncoincidental, the visions, the stares, the leader being on edge?

Maybe it was just because the apprentice was extremely tired, but she couldn't bother to wrap her mind around that concept. Not now at least.

"Speaking of Blizzardstar, again, here he comes" Lakepaw meowed, straightening her posture as her brother did the same.

The speckled tom dipped his head to both of the apprentices before he turned to Lightpaw.

"Have you eaten?"

"Oh-um yeah"

"Good." He nodded. "Are you ready for training?"

"What?"

He let out a strained laugh "Foxtail asked me if I could teach you some battle moves while he recovers."

 _Oh. Right. That._

The Thunderclan leader didn't look that good. Not in an appearances sort of way, but you could tell just by looking at him that he was drained. She couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the poor guy, especially after hearing how upset he was during his conversation with Ravenstar.

"Right, I almost forgot."

Blizzardstar flicked his tail towards the exit, before looking up at the sky. "We should probably head out now, before it gets any later."

Lightpaw nodded in response and followed him out of camp, leaving behind Lakepaw and Stonepaw's shocked stares.

The walk to the training hollow was silent and awkward, and neither of them said a word. She attempted to engage in small talk a few times, but shut herself up before I ever even had said anything.

When the two got to the hollow it was around noon, and she had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.

"So, Foxtail tells me you like to fight more on the defensive side, correct?"

Lightpaw nodded. "I guess you could put it like that."

What might have been a small smile on Blizzardstar's expression appeared, but then vanished.

"I fought similarly as an apprentice. Some might see that method of fighting; tricking your opponents that is,cowardly, but I see it as smart." he paused. "If you do it correctly."

He then crouched down, and flicked his tail impatiently.

"Attack me."

"What?"

He rolled his eyes, almost playfully. "Just do it."

She crouched down and leapt at him, but was easily swatted away. He then turned around to face her again, and began to lunge towards him once more, before he stuck out his hind leg and she felt herself land with a thud. She grumbled to herself as she heaved herself up from the ground, where she stared blankly at the leader.

"Am I just going to get beaten up the entire day?" Lightpaw could feel an edge creep into her tone, but she didn't care.

He shifted his attention to the apprentice, his gaze piercing. "That depends if you're going to fight back."

That statement seemed to hold more power than it appeared to to the tom.

She nodded in response. "If you teach me."

The fire in his eyes receded a little bit. "Good. Now watch me."

Blizzardstar repeated his movements once again, and she made special note of how his hind leg protruded as he dogged out of the way to avoid a blow.

"You try."

Lightpaw gulped before slowly crouching down, and she tried to replicate the move, which didn't go well. She wasn't very coordinated as a human, constantly knocking into things and other people, and it was pretty apparent that stayed the same as a cat.

"Again."

So she did, and she did slightly better than before. The young cat's muscles weren't used to doing this, and as he kept making her repeat the move, she felt herself becoming worn out

"Again."

"Again."

After what seemed to be ages, her moves becoming more and more sloppy as time went on, Lightpaw finally spoke up.

"Blizzardstar" she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "Can I take a break?"

His eyes widened, almost as if he had been snapped out of a trance. "Of course, I-" His shoulders slumped, his previously stern posture faded away. "It's getting late, we should probably head back."

The tom's sudden shift in demeanor unsettled the she-cat. _Maybe this guy just has some crazy mood swings_ , she tried to convince herself as the two headed towards camp in silence. But part of her refused to believe that that was the case.

Blizzardstar stopped abruptly about halfway to camp. He sniffed the air.

"Do you smell that?"

She sniffed tentatively, and she got a strong waft of pine needles and earth as a result.

"Yeah," Lightpaw paused. "Do you think it's-"

With a flick of his plumy tail, he raced into the undergrowth, the opposite direction from camp.

She inwardly groaned, not knowing what to do. She finally ran after him, not knowing if it was a good idea.

 _Nice split second decision genius._

She followed his scent trail in the direction of the other strange scent. _I'm kinda getting good at this whole cat-super-smelling-thing._

Lightpaw burst through the bushes clumsily, where she was greeted by the stares of two cats. One being Blizzardstar himself, the other being a darker gray cat, with slightly lighter gray paws. He had a powerful build, with flecks of gray around his muzzle. Needless to say, she was immediately intimidated, but also got an almost unsettling vibe from the cat. He seemed to think the opposite of Lightpaw, his initial reaction being shock, which was followed by an almost smug reaction.

"Well well well Blizzardstar, it seems your apprentice has found her way here, you must be _very_ proud." His voice oozing with sarcasm as his black eyes met hers.

Blizzardstar opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the mysterious cat. "She's awfully pretty, for a _replacement_."

She seemed to have an out of body experience at that moment, his words circling her mind. That word struck a chord deep within in Lightpaw, and the terrifying part was she didn't know why. She could feel something else present in the area, and it didn't seem pleased either. The apprentice could feel rage, and sorrow surround her so powerfully that she almost didn't hear Blizzardstar's response.

"Lightpaw, go back to camp." He commanded her through gritted teeth.

"But-"

"Go."

She could feel countless emotions bubbling inside of her, the most prominent being confusion. Why didn't she have the right to know what was going on?

Lightpaw began to stalk away, and she barely caught the rest of their conversation.

"Wow, even used the same name, very creative Blizzardstar."

The blood pumping in her head prohibited her from hearing the rest of the conversation, but she didn't care. All of the events from the past few months, being turned into a cat, being put in this universe that she didn't have any control over, all of it piled up at once.

She needed answers, and she needed them now.

The dappled she-cat rushed into the camp, almost like a cat possessed. She headed for the medicine den, for once not caring if Cloudwhisker was there or not.

"Lightpaw!" The cream and gray medicine cat greeted "Whats up?"

Lightpaw sat down with a huff. "No one's telling me anything."

Moonpaw's ears perked up in interest. "What?"

She explained everything that had happened over the past few months, except for one tiny detail; that she wasn't a cat.

"Hmm" her friend pondered, deep in thought.

"Well," Moonpaw began. "The other cat said that you were, a what?"

"Replacement" Lightpaw mumbled.

"Right. He also thought that you were Blizzardstar's apprentice?"

She nodded, her mind connecting the dots.

"So your saying that Blizzardstar used to have another apprentice?" Lightpaw knew that statement sounded stupid, every leader has to have at least one apprentice to become deputy.

The medicine cat nodded. "Exactly. I don't remember the last time he had one, so it was probably before I was born, or I was too young to remember."

She thought in silence for a moment.

"You can go ask the elders, they probably know more than me about this. Sorry I'm not much help."

"Are you kidding? You've helped a ton." Lightpaw purred, before leaving the medicine den, purpose filling her pawsteps.

She glimpsed a small pale tom heading towards the entrance to the elders den, mumbling around a wad of moss in his jaws.

"Pouncepaw! She called. "Let me take that for you."

He tilted his head in confusion. "Is thif a pwank?" He meowed through the moss.

"No." She responded hastily. "I can clean out the den."

He perked up. "Really? Thanks Lightpaw!" He meowed cheerfully, before heading back the apprentices den.

Lightpaw picked up the bundle gingerly, before heading into the den. It was dark compared to the other dens, with a generous layer of moss coating the ground. Dozing inside the den were two out of the three elders, a brown and white she-cat was chatting amiably with a russet tom, while a familiar grey she-cat listened in on their conversation.

"Lightpaw!" Lakepaw greeted happily. "I didn't think you were on elder duty today?"

She shook her head. "I took over Pouncepaw's shift"

Lakepaw grinned as she continued to change the moss.

"So, Blossomflower," Lightpaw began tentatively. "Do you remember if Blizzardstar ever had an apprentice?"

The elderly brown and white she-cat turned to face the apprentice. "Oh of course dear, such a sweet young cat, in fact you-"

"Blossomflower" The older russet tom scolded. "I don't think you should be…" His voice trailed off as he contemplated what to say. "Telling them about _that_ "

The apprentices shared a confused glance.

Lightpaw flicked her tail, before whispering to her friend "I'll tell you later"

She nodded, not completely satisfied with the other cat's answer.

Her attention shifted back to the arguing couple. "It's such a shame what happened to her, she was a very promising warrior," Blossomflower turned to the she-cat. "Why do you ask?"

Lightpaw befan to ask more, before Cloudwhisker shoved past her into the den.

"Everyone out, I have to check up on Blazestorm's breathing."

She tried to refrain from screaming right then and there. As soon as she was getting some sort of clue as to what was going on, she was cut off.

"But-" she protested.

"Now." His tone was similar to Blizzardstar's earlier that day, and she had a sinking feeling that the two were hiding something.

"C'mon Lightpaw, I'm sure we can hear more stories later." Lightpaw meowed, trying to make the situation more lighthearted.

"Yeah, alright." Lightpaw shot a glance in the medicine cats' direction, before exiting.

So, the theory that Moonpaw had created was correct, he did have a previous apprentice, and something had happened to her.

Lightpaw felt a chill course through her body

" _You don't even know the beginning of it, but you will soon, Mia."_

She froze. If she hadn't of been listening, she doubted that she would have heard anything.

"Lightpaw, you alright?" Lakepaw meowed, a hint of concern in her voice. "You've been acting kind of strange today."

She shook her head anxiously, as to erase what she had just heard. "Yeah, I think I'm just hungry." She lied.

"Right? I'm starved!" She mewed as she stopped next to the fresh kill pile, dragging a rabbit from the bottom. "Wanna share?"

Lightpaw plopped down beside her, and nodded absentmindedly as the grey she-cat began to dig in. The apprentice began to go on about her day, but Lightpaw didn't hear a thing.

It wasn't even the fact that she had felt something then, something that she had felt her entire time in the clans without realizing it. It was the fact that whatever it was knew, it knew she didn't belong here. It knew her name, and whatever it was, wasn't going away anytime soon.

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Hey guys, I apologize for not posting in literally forever, but I've had a ton of writer's block with this story, which is weird because I've already plotted out the entire thing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this super long chapter!**


	11. Chapter Nine

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｎｉｎｅ】

A golden starry-furred she-cat sat at the edge of a pool, looking into its calm waters with a

melancholy expression. Her eyes filled with sadness as she watched the life pass by that was ripped away from her. She had lost everything, and now had to sit and watch helplessly as it happened again.

"What are you doing here?"

She turned around wearily to find a bluish-gray she cat sitting behind her.

"Why do you care?" The golden she-cat hissed. "I thought you were done with me."

The previous Thunderclan leader sat beside her, letting out a strained sigh.

"Lightheart, we've- _I've_ told you dozens of times that you can't be here." Bluestar paused. "You know that."

There was silence between the two she-cats for a moment.

"Then don't waste your time trying to keep me away." Lightheart mumbled. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"You know that's not-"

"No!" The young she cat interrupted hastily, springing up from where she was sitting with fire in her green eyes. "You're the one who told me from the start that I was nothing but a failure! Don't bother trying to take that back now." She turned back to the pool. "I'm trying to help." She added sadly.

Bluestar shook her head. "You can _help_ by not interfering, that's what got us into this mess. Starclan shouldn't have contact with living cats, even in these circumstances."

"Just let me speak her."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?" Lightheart meowed, exasperation in her voice. "I'm the only one who knows what she's dealing with down there," She gestured to the pool. "Not you, not anyone else but _me._ " Her eyes widened in realization. "And you can't stand that, can you?"

The leaders eyes were filled with fury, her previously calm tone dissipating. "No one speaks to me like that." She hissed. "Let us deal with this."

The golden she-cat leaned in towards Bluestar, until they were only inches apart. "My life was taken away, and I'm not going to let the same happen to her." Her tone dangerously quiet. "And no one is going to stop me."

Bluestar turned away wordlessly, toned muscles rippling under her pelt. "I knew Starclan never should have chosen you."

"I guess that was one mistake you never should have made."

As Bluestar stalked away, Lightheart resumed her position near the pool, her frame shaky as a tear fell from her face, creating a ripple in the pool.

"What have I done?" She whispered to herself as she studied the features of the slumbering cats in the Thunderclan camp,her gaze focused on one cat in particular.

Lightpaw woke with a start, her heart thudding in her chest. She momentarily was lost in her racing thoughts, before glancing around the dark den. Around her the other apprentices were sleeping, only two nests empty. She groaned inwardly. _What was all of that?_ The apprentice knew something important resided in her dream, the starry she-cat she had seen previously finally having a name, and Lightpaw finally having answers. _That's why they hate me._

 _I share a dead cat's name._

As quietly as she could, the dappled she-cat padded around the sleeping bodies of her clanmates, and out into the cool fall air. Whatever had happened, whatever had caused Lightheart-or whatever her name was to end up in Starclan was part of a bigger picture, and one that now involved her.

 _Great,_ she thought. _Now not only am I a cat, I have some dead one keeping an eye on me._

She wondered if Lightheart could see her now, or if she had been witnessing her every move since she woke up a few moons ago in the forest. _I wonder if she's pissed I took her name?_

She was dying to talk to the she-cat, to get even more answers. Every time she had gotten one of her many questions solved, even more popped up in its wake.

Lightpaw recognized a sturdy frame sitting in the far corner of the camp, his head tilted up towards the sky.

"Hey." She greeted, sitting down by the tom.

Stonepaw turned to her, surprise laced in his gaze. "I didn't think you were a morning person."

She shivered. "I'm not, well at least not most of the time."

"I don't understand you." He meowed absentmindedly while looking up at the stars.

"How so?"

"Well," He paused. "I'm not sure."

Lightpaw laughed. "Sounds like you don't understand yourself."

The grey tom smiled, realizing how strange his sentence was. "You're different."

"Good different?" She questioned, feeling her face flush a little.

"Yeah."

The two apprentices sat in a comfy silence, her thoughts drifting back to the dream. Lighpaw glanced up at the stars.

 _Lightheart, if you can hear me,_ her thoughts trailed off. _Please give me a sign._

As cheesy as it sounded, it was true. All she needed was a sign that she wasn't losing her mind. That would do for now at least.

"Hey, uh, Briarpaw is supposed to come on the dawn patrol with me and a few other warriors, and since she isn't here," He scanned the clearing. "Would you want to come?"

Lightpaw rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "I guess"

Stonepaw laughed as Lightpaw followed after him towards a small group of warriors, their heads bent in conversation.

Stonepaw cleared his throat awkwardly as the two approached the group. "Since no one seems to know where Briarpaw went, could Lightpaw come with us instead?"

A large snow white tom turned around to face be, his eyes surveying the clearing briefly.

"I guess." He meowed, a slightly concerned look on his face. "Where does she keep going?" He mumbled to himself in a quieter tone as he heaved himself to his paws.

Lightpaw recognized a few of the other cats in the group, one being Nightpelt, a pitch-black she cat that rarely spoke. Another being Smallnose, Stonepaw's mentor, and a calico she-cat she didn't remember the name of.

The group of cats padded out into the forest, the cold breeze ruffling through Lightpaw's fur.

 _Don't cats get a thicker pelt in the winter or something?_

Things the past few months had been relatively calm up until leaf-fall, for the clans at least. Lightpaw didn't think she could ever get used to the constant tensions between the four cat groups, one of which was growing more restless by the second. It wasn't a secret that Windclan wanted a battle, but the clan's size was holding them back. She wasn't quite sure why the clan had such a vendetta against Thunderclan, but they had even started trying to get Shadowclan on their side. From what she knew, Ravenstar wasn't having any of that either. Lightpaw respected someone that wasn't easily swayed in a position of power, and she was thankful for the she-cat, even if she had never met her.

The majority of the patrol was standard, which was kind of boring to say the least.

 _If it means everything's fine, then I'm fine._

She had spoken too soon.

"Mossclaw, can you come here for a second? I'm picking up a strange scent under these branches." Nightpelt mewed, trying to shift one of the larger pieces of wood.

The burly tom padded over to the smaller black she-cat, and the two cleared out most of the debris.

"Oh my." Nightpelt whispered quietly, her eyes round with horror.

A boulder dropped in Lightpaw's stomach. It had to be something horrible to shake the calm she-cat.

"What is it?" The lithe calico she-cat meandered her way up to where the other cats were standing, her previously curious expression dropping.

"Who do you think it is?" The black she-cat whispered, looking up the senior warrior.

Mossclaw shook his head. "Can't tell. We need to tell Blizzardstar immediately."

"What happened?" Lightpaw asked from the back of the group.

The two older warriors padded back to where the apprentices were, Mapleleaf following behind them, their expressions melancholy.

"We found a dead body." Mossclaw meowed solemnly.

"What?" Stonepaw responded in a shocked tone. "Who was it?"

"Can't tell, the body's too mangled to make out any kind of resemblance."

Something definitely wasn't right with this. A dead cat, appearing on Thunderclan territory while conflicts were brewing between the clans just didn't settle right with her. Of course, It was awful that a cat had died in the first place, but the entire situation just seemed uncanny.

"You don't think..." Even though her voice had trailed of, the other cats seem to understand what she was insinuating.

"No." Nightpelt replied briskly, a glimmer of fear in her eyes. "No cat could be responsible for that."

The patrol walked back to the camp in silence, except for the occasional whisper between Stonepaw and his mentor.

When they arrived, the majority of the cats were already up and awake, some cheerfully chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey, you guys are back!" Lionpaw greeted as he padded over to the other apprentices, his smile falling when he saw the unanimous frown among the cats.

"What's wrong?"

Mossclaw shot the two apprentices a look, almost as if he were telling them to keep their mouths shut.

Lightpaw shook her head ,gesturing towards the warriors who padded into Blizzardstar's den.

He seemed to get the hint, because he fell silent.

A grey and white tabby she-cat padded out of the apprentices den, her fur gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"Hey guys" she yawned. Lakepaw looked around the other apprentices with a confused expression. "Isn't Briarpaw with you?" Lightpaw and Stonepaw shared a look of confusion.

"No, she missed the dawn patrol, I went instead."

Stonepaw nudged her, with a questioning look. "You don't think she was-"

The accusation, although it made sense, it didn't make sense at the same time. Yes the she-cat was a bit ill-tempered from time to time, but a killer?

Lightpaw shook her head. "I don't think so, even if it does line up, well," She paused. "You heard Nightpelt, a cat couldn't of done it."

The two other siblings gave us a weird glance. "I know you can't say, but you're acting like something weird is going on."

Stonepaw grimaced. "You'll find out soon enough."

Almost as if on cue, Blizzardstar stepped out of his den, with the warriors who were on the patrol trailing behind him.

"Thunderclan" He meowed, turning to address the cats that were starting to gather in front of him. "The dawn patrol has returned with some unfortunate news."

It seemed the leader was abandoning any formality with the clan meeting as he continued.

"While patrolling the borders, they stumbled upon a-" he hesitated, trying to find the best way to say it. "The body of a warrior."

The crowd began to murmur, looks of curiosity and horror spread among them. Moonpaw, who was sitting next to her mother Snowstream, in particular. Lightpaw could barely hear the medicine cat apprentice mutter among the crowd.

"Do you think it was Briarpaw?"

Mother and daughter shared a scared look as they continued to whisper.

Lightpaw felt a surge of pity for them. Although Moonpaw and Briarpaw were sisters, they had never really acted like it.

"It has been noted that the cat had a Shadowclan scent." Blizzardstar continued above the crowd. "But thats all we know at the moment."

"But that could mean anything!" A striped brown tom called out from the crowd. "That means it was killed by a Shadowclan warrior or was one!"

Silence fluttered over the crowd. The thought that another cat had murdered it in cold blood had never really occurred to her, except for the short-lived thought from Stonepaw. Of course it was a possibility, but if Nightpelt was right about how mangled the body was, a monster of a cat would have to do it.

"What are you going to do about it?" Another cat questioned. "It's not like we can keep a dead body on our territory!"

"I know" the speckled tom replied, anxiety in his gaze. "I'll discuss the matter with the senior warriors, if they would care to join me in my den."

Lightpaw watched a few of the older warriors nod in response, two of which being Mossclaw and Nightpelt. The handful of cats slinked into his den silently, before Blizzardstar followed them.

Almost immediately, the crowd burst into a hushed panic, worry lining their expressions.

"So that's what you saw." Lakepaw meowed quietly. "A dead warrior."

The group sat in silence for a few seconds, before Lionpaw replied. "How are the other clans going to react to this?"

The orange tom asked a good question. With everything going on, it was impossible to know how the other clans would react. Finding a dead body on another clans territory was a huge offense, and one that wouldn't go down well.

The entrance to camp shifted as a small dark brown she-cat padded through it, a mouse in her jaws. She dropped it before she was even halfway to the fresh-kill pile. "Whats going on?"

Snowstream dashed to her daughter immediately, wrapping her tail around her with tears in her eyes, with Moonpaw trailing her cautiously.

Lightpaw could hear the three talking in hushed tones, while Briarpaw tried to wriggle out of her grasp with an uncomfortable expression.

Even Lightpaw let out a sigh of relief. Although she didn't particularly care for the she-cat, she was glad that she wasn't dead. _That still doesn't rule her out as a murder._ She thought to herself. She shook her head as if too clear out those thoughts. _There's nothing except the fact that she was gone to prove she did it._

The remainder of the day was spent in silence, none of the cats allowed to leave the camp. Lightpaw didn't speak to anyone other than a few words exchanged between her friends, although she tried to speak to Moonpaw, but was yet again stopped by Cloudwhisker.

Just as the sun was setting, a weary looking Blizzardstar padded out of his den.

"It's time to announce what cats with be attending the gathering."

The golden apprentice couldn't help but be shocked, and judging by other's expressions, they were as well.

"Thunderclan will still be attending, it would look as though we were guilty if we didn't." He meowed, glancing at his clanmates.

"Susie, Blossomflower, Sandmist, Pouncepaw, Bearpaw, Eagleflight, Foxtail, Sparrowfeather, Lightpaw, Moonpaw, Cloudwhisper, Snowstream, and Briarpaw will be coming with me."

The selected cats fell into line, as Lightpaw glanced back at her friends.

"It'll be fine." Stonepaw reassured, "You'll have to tell us everything when you get back."

She smiled warmly at the three siblings who were nodding in agreement with their brother, before padding over to Foxtail to join the group.

Despite the tension of the group, Pouncepaw and Bearpaw bounced along happily, sharing excited whispers with each other, and Lightpaw felt bad for them. This was their first gathering, it was a shame their excitement had to be dampened by the unfortunate event.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that." Her mentor meowed. Foxtail shot her a sideways glance. "I hope you know this isn't a regular thing for the clans."

Lightpaw nodded. "I know, judging by everyone's reactions this is pretty unheard of."

He flicked his plumy tail in agreement. "It is." He looked over at Blizzardstar, his gaze filled with sympathy. "I can't imagine how he's taking this."

The leader was trudging along, his gaze clouded in thought.

"He isn't used to dealing with sort of thing." Foxtail meowed.

She tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

"You know," He began, a small smile on his face, "Blizzardstar is only a moon or so older than I am."

"Really?" Lightpaw meowed, a hint of surprise in her tone. "He doesn't seem that young"

The russet tom had a sad smile. "Being a leader has aged him. He was thrust into the position just as he became a warrior."

The apprentice felt a rush of pity for the tom. From what Foxtail had said, he never really had any chance to be a normal warrior.

"What would you do?"

"Huh?"

He let out a small purr of amusement. "What would you do in his situation?"

"Well," she began. "He can either tell all of the clans at the gathering what happened, and face the chances of people blaming Thunderclan for it, while creating even more tension between the clans, or, he could hide it from them and risk telling more and more lies to cover it up."

Lightpaw thought for a minute. "It really isn't good either way."

Foxtail nodded. "It rarely is."

"I would probably tell the truth, but that's just because I'm an awful lier."

Her mentor let out a snort of amusement, before gazing ahead.

"It will be interesting to see which one he chooses."

The rest of the clans appeared to have arrived way before them, so the Thunderclan cats had to squeeze in among them.

Lightpaw gave a quick nod to a Shadowclan apprentice beside her, as she tried to shove away his anxious expression. _He might find out one of his clanmates is dead tonight._

She watched as Blizzardstar climbed up to the rest of the leaders, and attempted to whisper something to Ravenstar. The Shadowclan leader mouthed something to the tom before starting the gathering.

"Cats of the Clans" The tortoiseshell she cat meowed. "Before the gathering begins there is something I would like to ask."

Murmurs rippled among the clans, as Lightpaw watched the apprentice become even more nervous.

"A few days ago one of our warriors, Thornbreeze, disappeared, and no one has seen him since."

The blood drained from Blizzardstar's face, as Lightpaw heard a small sob from behind her. Snowstream sat behind her in shock, before turning towards the trees along the shoreline.

 _What was that about?_

The Shadowclan leader wore a worried expression. "If any cat has seen him, please report back to me." She turned to the other leaders before turning back to the crowd. "That will be all from Shadowclan."

Blizzardstar gulped nervously as he tried to cut in line before Spottedstar, but was cut off. "Windclan has been thriving, as always." He boasted, shooting a glance at Blizzardstar. "We have also recently welcomed two new warriors to our ranks, Larkfoot and Seednose." He stepped down, cocking an eyebrow at Blizzardstar before standing beside Miststar.

The speckled tom cleared his throat, trying his hardest to keep his tone clear. "Today, one of Thunderclan's border patrols stumbled upon…" He adjusted his stance. "The corpse of a cat." Blizzardstar turned to Ravenstar, whose face showed no emotion. "I'm so sorry, they couldn't identify who it was-"

The tortishells eyes turned cold. "I see." She meowed, her tone sharp. "And who would be responsible for this?"

The clearing fell silent. It was obvious by now that the missing warrior and the dead one were the same cat. The tom beside her had been struggling to keep his guard up, and she could almost see the hurt in his eyes.

 _I wonder if he knew him._

Blizzardstar shifted uncomfortably, almost like a small kit who had been reprimanded. "We don't know."

Ravenstar looked at the ground as a small tear fell to the earth. She pulled her head up. "If thats everything you have to say," She turned to the small Riverclan cat. "Is there anything you would like to announce?" Miststar shook her head quickly, before Ravenstar turned back to the crowd, not meeting anyones gaze.

"The gathering has ended, please follow your leaders back to camp." Her voice cracked with anger and sadness.

The shadowclan apprentice met her gaze before turning away.

Yes, of course she felt horrible Shadowclan, it all felt...strange.

Like the walk to the gathering, the walk back wasn't any cheerier, and neither was camp itself. Blizzardstar gave a quick explanation of what had happened when he returned to camp, before immediately going into his den.

When Lightpaw returned to the camp, there was still the nagging thought in the back of her mind that something wasn't right. In the apprentices den, Lionpaw eagerly asked her what had happened, before Stonepaw gave him a harsh look. She silently thanked him, before curling up in her nest. Sleep swept over her as soon as she hit the moss, and she blacked out.

"Can you hear me?" A voice meowed worriedly around her. "I swear if this doesn't work…"

"What?" Lightpaw grumbled, sitting up. It took a second for her eyes to adjust. She was surrounded by a starry landscape, a warm breeze ruffling her fur.

"It worked!" They voice meowed again relieved.

To her side, a golden-furred she-cat stood, her eyes gleaming.

You're the cat from my dream" Lightpaw meowed, eyes wide.

"You've seen me?"

Lightpaw nodded in confusion, and the starry cat grinned slightly

"Theres so much I need to know-" the apprentice began, only to be cut off by the she-cat.

"I know, trust me, I know."

Lightpaw opened her mouth to respond before she was cut off again.

"But there's something else thats more important right now." Lightheart turned to the stream bubbling beside them, her expression mixed.

"Its curious, isn't it?"

"What?"

"The death."

Lightpaw shifted her paws uneasily. "How so."

The Starclan cat rolled her eyes. "Don't lie to me, I know you have your doubts."

The apprentice was taken aback "You can read my mind?"

Lightheart let out a breathless laugh. "Again, I'll discuss that later." He attitude shifted. "Small events can lead up to big things Lightpaw" Her tone serious. "Why would a Thunderclan cat want a Shadowclan cat dead?"

Lightpaw shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Exactly."

The puzzle pieces began to click in her mind. There was a reason this whole situation didn't make sense, becuase it wasn't _real._ It was a set up, leading to something bigger.

"You're saying that someone _wanted_ a battle to happen?"

The she-cat's gaze was focused intently on the water before them. "You tell me."

Her surroundings began to shift, the grass slowly starting to dissapear.

"Wait!" Lightpaw yelled, the she-cat fading, "why are you talking to me?"

The starry warrior turned to face her, her expression sad. "Because you're going to do what I couldn't."

Then everything went black.

Lightpaw, for the second night in a row snapped awake, looking frantically around the den. She had to tell someone, and now.

Lionpaw sat in the corner of the den, pacing back in forth with a mix of anticipation and fear in his gaze.

"Whats going on?" The golden apprentice meowed, a hint of fear in her tone for what she knew was coming.

Lionpaw turned to her. "Shadowclan just declared their alliance with Windclan."

She felt the blood drain from her face. _I'm too late._

"They want a fight, and Blizzardstar hasn't said anything about it."

Lightpaw felt her pace quicken. _The only thing holding Windclan back was the fact that they weren't enough of them, and now that Shadowclan is on their side-_

That was it.

They must have known the only way to get Shadowclan involved was to kill one of their own.

She swallowed, her mind racing a mile per minuete.

A Windclan cat had just gotten away with murder.

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **wOw that was a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the 3rd person perspective, I think it will make this a lot easier on me to write. Also, please remember to comment or leave a review on the story, you have no idea how much it fuels me to write haha. Plus, its great so that I know what you guys like or dislike about the direction the story is heading in.**

 **Also, don't you just love that cliffhanger? Part two should be up soon :)**

 **I would also like to say that I am taking requests for OC's to be put in the story, I need a few more cats from other clans (because the other clans will soon play a big role in the story). So, if you would like to PM me with any ideas I will gladly put them in! Just include their name, appearance, and a small blurb about their story/personality**

 **Sorry for my long a/n, but I hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter Ten

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｅｎ】

"Nonononono" Lightpaw mumbled to herself as she paced around the den, her mind racing.

 _Is it even my place to say anything?_

"Lightpaw?" Lionpaw meowed cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

Ignoring the tom, she raced out into the clearing, trying to push away the thoughts that were telling her that she was making a horrible decision.

Her friend continued to shout after her. I'll have to apologize for that later.

As soon as the apprentice burst into Blizzardstar's den, she snapped out of whatever had possessed her. The senior cats in the den around her gave her strange looks and Cloudwhisker shot an irritated look in her direction.

The Thunderclan leader turned to her, anger in his expression.

"Lightpaw, what are you doing here?"

She stood frozen in her pawsteps for a second, her mind blank.

Blizzardstar let out a disappointed sigh. "If no one is in danger I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"We can't let Shadowclan attack" Lightpaw stammered.

The speckled tom raised an eyebrow, but let her continue.

"They obviously only joined because they were provoked." She mewed. "And why would Thunderclan kill one of their warriors while tensions were already high?" To her surprise, some of the senior warriors kind of agreed with her, some even nodding along in agreement. "If we could just get that across to Shadowclan-"

"And how do I know that I can trust that this would help more than harm us?"

Lightpaw felt her stomach drop. There wasn't any definitive proof that what she was saying was what really happened, and definitely none that proved it would be helpful.

She could see a fog encroaching on her vision rapidly. Not this, not right now.

And her vision went white.

It returned almost immediately, which left Lightpaw's head spinning.

Wait, I'm still here?

She still standing right where she was in Blizzardstar's den, but the rest of the people there were gone.

Two almost ghostly looking cats were standing in front of her, their outlines faint. She felt her breath hitch in her throat when she realized who they were.

A youthful-looking Blizzardstar was standing in the far corner, worry lines deeply etched in his expression. Opposite him stood a pleading she-cat, her gold and white swirled fur standing out against the neutral tones of the den.

Is that…

"Please, you have to listen-"

"No." The tom responded, his tone harsh. "Do you know how crazy you sound?" His voice cracked a bit. "You can't expect me to risk my entire clan for this."

She stumbled backward, hurt shining in her eyes. "That's not what I'm saying"

Blizzardstar shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just can't deal with this right now."

The she-cat's hurt turned to anger. "Why can't you just trust me for once?" She meowed angrily, and before he could respond, she raced out of the den.

As her vision began to dim, she watched the tom look after her sadly, before she blacked out completely.

Lightpaw snapped back into reality with a gasp, the cats around her looking more confused than ever. She could feel the familiar sense of blood trickling down her nose, but she ignored it.

"Why can't you just trust me for once?" She questioned quietly, repeating the she-cat's words. As soon as she said it she regretted it, and the blood drained from Blizzardstar's face.

He knows.

"Fine." He meowed hoarsely. "Take Nightpelt and Mossclaw with you." His gaze shifted to the other warriors. "Everyone else out."

All of the other cats dipped their heads to their leader, before padding out of the den.

Lightpaw opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut off by a flick of his tail.

The apprentice could feel the guilt within her as she padded up to the two senior warriors, who were accompanied by Russetheart and an excited Lionpaw.

The deputy turned to me. "I don't know what all you did, but you better be sure about this."

The dappled she-cat nodded meekly to the older warrior. "I kind of have to be, don't I?"

Russetheart grunted in response. "We better head out then."

For the second day in a row, the group of cats set off, and Lightpaw could practically feel the excitement radiating off of the orange tom.

"Aren't you excited?" Lionpaw asked her. "We get to go straight to another clan's camp! Imagine what we'll get to tell all the other apprentices when we get back!"

But Lightpaw was too stressed out to feel her friend's excitement. If all of this goes wrong, it'll be my fault.

She could feel the ground under her feet becoming mushy, and the scents of the pine forest rose up around her.

"I guess we're here then." Mossclaw meowed gruffly. He turned to the apprentices. "Don't say a word, we'll do all the talking."

Part of her wanted to shoot back that this had been her idea, but she kept quiet.

"What are you all doing here?" A small grey she-cat growled, her nose wrinkling in disgust. Judging by the smell radiating off of her, Lightpaw assumed she was a Shadowclan cat.

"Calm down Pinefoot." Russetfur meowed passively. "We're just here to speak to Ravenstar."

Pinefoot's fur fluffed up angrily. "Who said you could speak to her?"

The Thunderclan deputy rolled her eyes, and Lightpaw could almost see her patience ebbing away by the second. "We're not trying to hurt anyone-"

"Pinefoot." A calm voice meowed. "May I ask what's going on here?" The Shadowclan leader's expression was guarded.

The already small she-cat seemed to shrink under the tortoiseshell's gaze. "They wanted to speak to you."

"I see." Ravenstar mewed, turning to face the Thunderclan cats. Her sharp gaze landed on Lightpaw, her eyes widening with mild shock. "You've brought apprentices with you."

This time the white tom spoke up. "Yes. We thought it would be a good experience for them."

The leaders gaze never left the dappled she-cat.

"I take it you wish to talk about Shadowclan's agreement with Windclan?"

The patrol nodded unanimously.

Lightpaw shifted uncomfortably under Ravenstar's gaze.

"Who's idea was?"

Russetheart's glanced at the ground. "Lightpaw, actually" She meowed, almost as though she was embarrassed.

A look of understanding washed over the leaders face, her gaze still meeting Lightpaw's. "Even under these circumstances, I will always hear the other side." She flicked her tail. "Come with me."

The rest of the patrol began to pad after her but was stopped by Ravenstar. "No, not you." she paused. "Just the apprentice."

Lightpaw watched as Russetheart's eyes rounded, but didn't argue with the she-cat.

Lightpaw anxiously began to follow the leader towards the other side of the camp, into a small alcove in the foliage.

"You're either awfully brave or awfully stupid to come here, you know." The leader meowed, shooting her a glance.

"I know," Lightpaw responded, her heart thudding in her chest.

The tortoiseshell sat down and began to groom herself. "Go ahead." She meowed. "State your case."

She gulped nervously. "I don't think any Thunderclan cat committed murder."

Ravenstar let out a breathless laugh. "Of course you don't, it's not in your best interest."

Lightpaw shook her head, trying to find the right way to word her thoughts. "No, if I thought a Thunderclan cat had done it, I wouldn't have even come here today." She met the leader's gaze. "Even if it wasn't in my best interest, I wouldn't lie about something like this."

The leader gave her a curious look. "Go on."

"Well," she began hesitantly. "Yes the warrior was technically found on Thunderclan territory, but that's the only evidence we have, except for the scent being from Shadowclan. There's no concrete evidence that a cat was the killer from any clan, accept-" Lightpaw cut herself off, she couldn't even discuss that thought with the already angry leader. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't think we should assume things about what happened until we have more proof."

Ravenstar let out a bitter laugh. "You sure speak quite eloquently for an apprentice." A look of suspicion in her gaze. "You remind me of someone."

Lightpaw really wanted to ask who, but didn't. She had a sinking feeling that it was whom she reminded everyone of. "Did you know him?"

Ravenstar's eyes grew dark, and Lightpaw immediately regretted the question.

"Yes." She meowed softly. "He was my son."

Lightpaw felt a pang of sympathy for the she-cat. "I'm so sorry."

The tortoiseshell sighed. "Thank you." She eyed the apprentice with interest. "You were at the gathering a few moons ago, weren't you?". She meowed, switching the topic.

The apprentice gulped nervously, causing the leader to laugh again. "You may be a talented negotiator, but you aren't good at hiding things. I know you overheard my conversation with Blizzardstar."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop-"

The older she-cat shook her head, a forced laugh escaping her. "Of course you did." She gave her a sideways glance. "They haven't told you anything, have they?"

"Nope."

Ravenstar rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised he even let you come here in the first place." She mumbled in a quieter tone. "I personally don't know much myself, but you should wait for him to tell you." She flashed Lightpaw a slightly stern look. "Don't go sticking your nose into things that don't involve you."

I thought this did involve me?

The two sat in silence for a minute, before the leader turned to her. "Shadowclan won't attack Thunderclan, not today at least."

Lightpaw's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

The tortoiseshell sighed sadly. "Thornbreeze wouldn't want this." She paused. "Do you know anything else about what happened to him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. I was on the patrol, but they didn't let me see anything."

Ravenstar nodded in acceptance, before padding to the entrance of her den. "I suppose we'll have to wait to find out that mystery, won't we?"

The apprentice nodded. "I guess we will."

The two she-cats padded into the heart of Shadowclan's camp, all of the foreign cats shooting her dirty glances.

Ravenstar turned to a surprised looking Russetheart. "Thank you for coming all this way to see me, I'm sure Pinefoot would be happy to escort you to your territory?"

The Thunderclan deputy looked back and forth between Lightpaw and Ravenstar cautiously, before dipping her head to the leader. "Of course."

The second the patrol stepped foot onto Thunderclan territory, Lightpaw was assaulted with questions.

"What did she say?"

"Did she call off the battle?"

"Did you make things worse?"

She sighed. "She agreed to pull out from the battle."

The quiet black she-cat beamed at her. "Well done Lightpaw."

Russetheart cleared her throat. "I don't know what you did kid, but whatever it was, it worked." A bit of relief in her tone. Lionpaw gave her a congratulatory smile as well.

"That's great and all, but that doesn't stop-"

Mossclaw was cut off by a loud yowl, and a small apprentice barreling towards him.

"What the-"

The small spotted tom managed to knock the much larger Thunderclan off of his paws, the two of them landing near a tree.

"What is wrong with you?" The burly tom roared at the apprentice. I would be laughing if this wasn't such a tense situation.

The two cats had scrambled to their feet by now, the older warrior questioning the apprentice.

"Where is your mentor?" He sniffed the air, looking the tom up and down. "You're from Windclan, aren't you?"

The apprentice barred his tiny fangs in comparison at Mossclaw. "Haven't you heard? Our clans are fighting. I'm playing my part-" He was cut off by another group of cats entering the clearing.

"Great," Russetheart mumbled to herself. "More mouse-brains."

The cats padded into the clearing, an embarrassed expression on a lithe she-cat's face.

"Nettlepaw" The she-cat hissed quietly. "Get back here."

Unaffected by her words, Nettlepaw shot one last hostile look at the Thunderclan cat, before stalking back to the group.

A large tom, who appeared to be leading the group shoved his way to the front, a sour expression on his face.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Thunderclan gang."

Russetheart gritted her teeth. "Hello, Finchpelt."

The tom shifted his attention to her, a sarcastic grin on his face. "Ah, I see you've missed me."

She snarled in return.

He turned away from the deputy. "What are you all doing so close to Shadowclan territory?"

"I'm afraid I might ask you the same" A cat meowed from behind Lightpaw.

She turned around, to be greeted with Blizzardstar, as well as a few other warriors. His sharp gaze met Finchpelt's unflinchingly.

The pale tabby tom raised an eyebrow. "I was sent by Spottedstar, as preparations for the battle."

Mossclaw let out a laugh. "What battle?"

Finchpelt's patience was slowing dissipating. "The alliance that Windclan and Shadowclan announced this morning, have you not heard?"

"Yeah, well I'm not sure what Ravenstar told you, but she just told us that she called off the alliance."

An awkward silence fluttered over the cats. Blizzardstar's eyes widened in quiet surprise, without even shooting a glance in Lightpaw's direction.

"Pfft, you expect me to believe that?" Finchpelt scoffed. "Slatefur," he turned to a cat from behind him. "Is that true?"

Lightpaw's blood turned cold as she realized the cat he was talking to, her mind flashing back to the day she and Blizzardstar had encountered the tom by the stream.

He knows something.

The sturdy tom stepped forward, his dark grey pelt rippling. "I haven't been notified of any such news." His cold stare met hers before he looked back towards Shadowclan territory.

"This Finchwhatever guy isn't very bright" Lionpaw whispered into Lightpaw's ear, before being shushed by his mentor.

"-Well I supposed the only logical move would be to ask her yourself," Blizzardstar replied coolly. He flicked his tail to signal the rest of the Thunderclan cats to follow him back to camp, before turning around. "Also, why are there Shadowclan cats in your patrol?" His gaze flickered to Slatefur, as well as a rather uncomfortable looking apprentice standing next to him.

Surprisingly, Lightpaw recognized him as well. The Shadowclan apprentice from the gathering must be his apprentice.

"As Finchpelt said, we were discussing matters concerning the alliance." Slatefur responded, little emotion in his tone."

The Thunderclan leader's eyes narrowed suspiciously, before turning away from the group. "Come on, I think it's about time we both get off of other clan's territory."

Although the groups had separated, the hostile atmosphere remained. Blizzardstar led the group, questioning Mossclaw on what had happened.

"So she just, agreed to a truce?"

Mossclaw shook his head. "I'm not sure." He paused and shot Lightpaw a quick glance. "Whatever the apprentice said, it worked." Blizzardstar's face contorted in thought for a brief moment, before the two went back to their quiet conversation.

"So what was Ravenstar like?" Lionpaw asked curiously. "I mean I've seen her at the gatherings and stuff, but that isn't saying much."

The dappled apprentice shrugged. "She seemed pretty tense, but then again I would be too in her situation." Lightpaw thought for a moment. "She seemed pretty wise too."

Lionpaw nodded, satisfied with her answer.

By the time the cats had gotten back to camp, the sun was already setting, the hazy pink and gold sky in the distance.

The Thunderclan cat's ears immediately pricked up in interest when the group shouldered in, and they were all met with questions.

Blizzardstar sighed as he padded towards his den, not even bothering to announce a meeting since the majority of the clan was already huddled around him.

"They've called off the battle."

Whispers echoed through the cats, some cheering happily.

"Ravenstar seemed to have listened to reason, thanks to our patrol." The cats gave the patrol happy glances. Part of her wanted to shout out that she had been the one who had stopped it, but she bit her tongue.

"So what are you going to do about the, you know?" a brown tabby tom called out.

Blizzardstar grimaced. "I think it's best to wait this one out since there isn't proof that any cat did anything."

The clan cats murmured in agreement before the group began to scatter, the cats going back to eating or sharing tongues. The Thunderclan leader gave one last glance around the clearing, before padding into his den.

"Hey, Lightpaw" Lionpaw meowed, flicking his tail towards the fresh-kill pile. "Stonepaw and Moonpaw saved us some food."

Lightpaw smiled in response. "I'll meet you guys there in a second."

She swallowed nervously before heading into Blizzardstar's den, guilt eating at her. I obviously brought up something sensitive to him.

"H-Hello?" she stammered, her mew echoing around the den.

"Look I'm really sorry about earlier-"

"You know, don't you."

It wasn't a question-no, it was a statement. Blizzardstar sat hunched in the center of the den, his back facing her.

"What?"

"You know about her, about me, about-" The tom began to spiral before he was stopped by another figure entering the den.

"Blizzardstar" A growl meowed. " ." Cloudwhisker stood at the entrance to the den.

"No," he responded, turning around quickly. "I'm sick of this."

The two cats began to argue, their voices getting louder and louder.

"Why can't you just forget about her?" Cloudwhisker yelled loudly.

"Because I can't when she's right in front of me!" Blizzardstar yelled, exasperation in his tone.

The den went silent, the tension in the air palpable.

Anger swam in the medicine cat's eyes before he turned away silently.

"Get out." To whom it was directed towards, she wasn't sure. Blizzardstar mumbled quietly. "Don't-"

"I know," Lightpaw whispered, fear creeping into her tone. "Don't say anything."

She quietly padded out of the den, her body feeling numb.

The apprentice quickly glanced behind her, finding the leader hunched back into his previous position.

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but she saw someone sitting beside him, the she-cat's starry tail wrapped around his figure.

Lightpaw blinked, and suddenly the she-cat was gone, but she had a feeling it wasn't the last she would see of her.

* * *

【 Ｃｏｍｍｅｎｔ Ｒｅｐｌｉｅｓ】

 **WorkingOnIt:** Ah thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far Also I've always loved the name Mia, I guess that's why I used it, haha :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Remember when I said that this chapter would come soon?**

 **Apparently I don't.**

 **I've said this before, about how I'm sorry about not posting regularly, and I mean it, but I don't want to sound like a broken record. I've been having a lot of writers block lately, which hopefully gets resolved since I really do love writing this story. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! (about 7 pages long I think).**

 **I'm also on a heckofalotta pain killers while I'm writing this, (dental surgery sucks) so sorry if parts of this is kinda off/grammatically incorrect.**

 **Sidenote, I hope you all don't mind the title change, it ties in with some of the plot later in the story :D I also apologize for uploading this at such a weird time, and also happy thanksgiving! (if you live in the states)**

 **Until next chapter, (which is hopefully coming soon),**

 **-snoot**


	13. Chapter Eleven

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｅｌｅｖｅｎ】

 _A silvery-white she-cat sat in a meadow of stars, a light breeze ruffling the grass below her. Birdsong echoed in her ears, the sound of the rushing water surrounded her like a blanket._

 _But she knew this wouldn't last._

 _She could feel her environment changing, the peaceful atmosphere changing to yowls filled with fear and pain, the stars beneath her paws slowly turning into dark churning waters._

" _I see you've finally arrived."_

 _A dark figure stepped out of the shadows, a smirk on the dark tom's face. "I'm always late- I have a reputation to uphold you know."_

 _The she-cat let out a bitter laugh. "For who? I know you're delusional, but you and I both know we are the only ones here."_

 _The tom surveyed the clearing, his gaze thoughtful._

" _I don't approve of what you've done to the place, it truly looks...awful. Mind me for fixing a few things."_

 _She gritted her teeth. "Cut to the point Dark, why are you here?"_

 _Dark laughed. "You always were the polite one."_

 _The starry cat opened her mouth to respond but was cut off. "I see your latest," he paused. "...Recruit has run into some trouble."_

 _She shot him a glare. "Thanks to you."_

 _He shrugged. "This happens every single time," he meowed, pacing around the now shadowy area. He turned around to face her with a smug expression. "Why are you so upset? It's because you've lost, isn't it?"_

" _These are real lives we're messing with Dark." She meowed._

" _Ha!" He laughed. "You act like such a saint, but really you're just as bad as I am. You agree to this, I'll remind you."_

 _The she-cat ducked her head. "You didn't answer my question."_

" _Fine, fine." He sighed. "I have a proposition for you."_

 _Her head shot up. "What?"_

 _Dark shot her a sidewards glance. "I knew you would be interested."_

" _I'm proposing a do-over of sorts."_

 _Now it was the she-cat's turn to laugh. "Why would you want that?"_

 _He sat down and began to groom himself. "I will admit that this time around I did make things a bit difficult, but it was just so easy-"_

" _You're losing your chances by making me angry." The silvery she-cat hissed._

" _I say we give you a new candidate to play out our little game with, you know, to make things fair."_

 _Her eyebrows raised in shock. "Really?"_

" _Ah, but you forget my dear sister, nothing I do comes without a cost."_

" _For the last time, we aren't-"_

 _He flicked the annoyed she-cats muzzle with his tail. "But I want a part of it."_

 _Confusion washed across her face. "What? And even if we were to...do whatever you're suggesting, you and I both know that there isn't an eligible cat in the clans, or even in the forest."_

 _The shadowy cat grinned._

" _Who said I was talking about a cat?"_

"Ugh" Lightpaw meowed to herself as she padded out of the apprentice's den, wincing as a drop of water splashed near her eye. "I can't believe they're still making us train in this kind of weather."

Her grey tabby friend shrugged beside her. "Hey, whatever gets us closer to becoming warriors."

The apprentices had been training for months, but they still had no clue when they would actually fully become members of the clan.

"Hey, at least you guys _know_ that you'll become warriors." Moonpaw padded up to the duo. "I have to wait until Cloudwhisker dies." She paused in thought for a moment. "I think."

Lightpaw laughed, internally wincing at the mention of the medicine cat.

Before when she had been caught eavesdropping on the Thunderclan and Shadowclan leader, he had simply ignored her, but now, now it was much worse. Every single time she had been chatting with Moonpaw, or even being in the same general area as the tom he would make sure she knew how much he despised her, or at least that's how it felt. It was obvious that him, as well as Blizzardstar, knew something important, regarding her and the mysterious Lightheart.

 _If only I could speak to her again._

Lightpaw knew that the two toms obviously knew her at some point, and it was pretty evident that other cats did too. She just had to find them.

Yeah, her plan was kind of awful, but she couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

As for Blizzardstar, for the past moon he had been trying to speak to her, but obviously not hard enough. Every time he even got close to explaining anything Cloudwhisker would shut him down.

"I don't think that's how being a medicine cat apprentice works." Lakepaw purred in amusement before shaking her wet fur.

Moonpaw rolled her eyes. "It feels like that. I've been his apprentice for forever, and he hardly says anything about my performance as a medicine cat."

The three apprentices padded into the medicine den, the rain pelting down behind them.

Lakepaw shot her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, that must suck."

Moonpaw shrugged, casting a look around the den. "Eh its fine, he seems pretty checked out recently, more than usual."

The cream and grey she-cat prodded her friend with her paw. "Speaking of checked out, what's up with you lately?"

Lightpaw straightened her posture quickly, her clouds of thought dissipating. "What?"

The two she-cats laughed.

"Nothing, you just seem so weird recently, for a cat who saved the clan."

The golden apprentice flattened her ears in embarrassment. "I didn't do that much honestly, I just told her the truth."

She sighed. "I'm sorry guys, I'm just a bit out of it I guess."

"Hey," Lakepaw meowed, changing the subject. "Is your mom doing better? She seemed pretty distressed by the whole dead-cat-might-have-been-briarpaw-thing."

Moonpaw opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Stonepaw and Lionpaw entering the den.

'Ugh, what are you all doing here?" Lakepaw groaned as she squeezed against the wall to make room. "We were here first."

"Yeah, well, it's cold. _I'm_ cold." Lionpaw shot back as he huddled near an uncomfortable looking Moonpaw.

"Isn't Cloudwhisker gonna get angry that we're all here? I mean technically Moonpaw's the only one that's supposed to be here." Stonepaw mewed worriedly.

"Yeah, well, he's always angry so-"

"What's going on here?" Cloudwhisker meowed angrily, trying to shoulder through the mass of apprentices.

Lakepaw and Lionpaw tried to explain what happened at the same time, but were quickly shut down by the medicine cat.

"Get out."

"But it's cold and wet out there!"

Lightpaw cringed at her friend's boldness.

"Unless one of you is in serious danger, leave."

The siblings shuffled out, Lakepaw and Lionpaw muttering to themselves.

Cloudwhisker turned his attention to Lightpaw. "And why are you still here?"

"She's helping me," Moonpaw interjected. "With uh, sorting herbs."

Lightpaw cocked her head to the side. "I am?"

Moonpaw nodded hurriedly. "Yes," she laughed awkwardly. "You're very forgetful these days."

Lightpaw replicated her friends laugh. "I guess so."  
She began to follow the other she-cat towards the back of the den, the smell of the various plants overpowering her senses.

"So why did you want to speak to me?"

Moonpaw grimaced. "Sorry if you had other things to do, I just wanted to check if you were alright."

Lightpaw couldn't help but smile, but her smile quickly changed to a frown. "You don't wanna know-"

"Really, tell me." She insisted, pushing aside a bundle of marigold. "I'm not blind you know, or deaf for that matter."

"What?"

She sighed. "I wanted to act like I heard it from you, but I heard Blizzardstar and Cloudwhisker fighting in his den the same day you called off the battle."

Lightpaw's eyes widened in horror. "Moonpaw you can't tell anyone what you heard. I'm serious, _I_ don't even know what's going on."

Moonpaw shook her head. "But that's the thing, I might."

"You might?"

The medicine cat apprentice sat down and began to sort the herbs lying dejectedly around the den.

"To begin with, I notice things around here. Working here every day, I hear a lot. I've also noticed strange the both of them have been acting since you've gotten here."  
Lightpaw sat down with a sigh on the den of the medicine den and began to help sort. "Go on."

"After you had your naming ceremony, Cloudwhisker came back to the den angrier than I have ever seen him. He was muttering about something, about how her name was being 'dragged through the mud'."

Her friend's voice began to fade away, her mouth still moving, a concerned expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, I can't-" she mumbled incoherently, her surrounding starting to slip away. Lightpaw felt her body shake as her vision went white.

"Oh _wow_ , at this rate you're never going to become a medicine cat." She heard a disembodied voice purr, amusement in a she-cat's tone.

"What the…" Lightpaw trailed off as she stumbled to her feet.

"Where am I?"

She sat in a den stuffed to the brim with herbs, a single pile of moss shoved in the far corner next to a small trickle of water flowing from a crack in the stone wall. The warm daylight streamed through the numerous cracks in the cave walls, the sound of voices meowing from outside.

"Please, like you would do any better."

"Hey," the she-cat _mrrowed_ in laughter. "I wouldn't, that's why _I_ didn't choose to be a medicine cat."

Sitting in the den were two cats around her age, maybe a little younger. Her eyes widened in surprise. Sitting across from her, was a cat that looked exactly like her, her eyes squinted in amusement while the tom beside her was laughing.

"I swear, you probably don't even know what this is…" The she-cat apprentice trailed off, her eyes searching around the den, a grin forming on her face as she hooked a small leafy plant with a small claw, before holding it up for the other cat to see.

"Catnip." A long-haired white tom meowed, stifling his laughter.

She nodded. "Okay, maybe you might survive after all.

The two laughed for a few moments before the dappled she-cat's expression turned sincere. "But really, you're gonna be great. Larksong is lucky to have you."

The tom grinned, his back still facing Lightpaw. "Thanks, it means a lot."

The two apprentices heads shot up, a muffled call sounding from outside the den.

The she-cat flattened her ears. "I should probably go."

The tom nodded. "Have fun being a _warrior._ " He meowed teasingly, watching his friend pad away.

The apprentice cast one last glance over her shoulder, sticking out her tongue.

He smiled to himself, before slumping his shoulders sadly for a brief second, before his posture resumed to normal.

"Bye Lightpaw!"

Every hair on her body stood on end. "Me?"

"No, me."

A familiar she-cat sat in the den, a melancholy expression on her face.

"You!" Lightpaw cried. "How-" she stammered. "How am I here? How are you…?"

Her gaze fluttered from the cat standing in the entrance to the ghostly figure of the tom.

"Can he see us?"

Lightheart shook her head. "No, this is just a memory." She murmured sadly.

"So that's you?" She whispered in disbelief, trying to catch another view of the apprentice.

She nodded. "At one point, yes. So was the other time you, well, blanked out."

"I knew it," Lightpaw whispered to herself. "So if that really was you, who is that?"

Lightheart let out a sigh as she watched the ghostly tom turn around.

"Someone I used to know."

Lightpaw gasped. "C-Cloudwhisker?"

The tom's icy blue gaze seemed to pass straight through her as he padded over to the heap of moss, and began separating it out.

"So you did know him? So that's why he hates me!" She laughed sarcastically. "Because I'm dragging _your_ name through the mud."

The Starclan cat's mouth formed a firm line. "I don't agree with how he treats you." She shook her head bitterly. "But then again, what am I supposed to do about it?"

Lightheart's eyes softened as her gaze shifted to the entrance to the den.

She watched as her younger self bounded into the center of camp, her eyes brimming with excitement.

"So what are we doing today?" She mewed as she bounced on her paws. A tom not many moons older than she was stood beside her.

"Calm down Lightpaw," he laughed. "You have tons of time to check out everything."

"But I want to do so much, _see_ so much."

The tom laughed at his apprentices' enthusiasm as the two exited camp.

Lightpaw just made out the end of their conversation.

"...Blizzardstorm, I still can't believe he chose you of all cats boss me around, you aren't even that old."

She heard the sound of distant meows from the two of them before they disappeared from her view.

"You were his apprentice."

"I was."

"But I saw you two fighting when you were older. Why?"

Lightheart began to pad around the den, her face now in a frown. "There's a lot you don't know."

"People keep telling me that," Lightpaw meowed in frustration. "But no one tries to tell me anything!"

"If I wasn't trying to risk everything to talk to you, you wouldn't know anything you currently do." She hissed back.

Her anger subsided. "I'm sorry, you don't deserve this."

"No really," Lightpaw meowed apologetically "You're fine, I'm sorry I snapped."

"No, it isn't." The warrior whispered to herself. "I have to go."

"What?" Lightpaw cried. "Please, I-I want to see more!"

Her surroundings began to dim.

"In time." Lightheart whispered sadly.

Then everything went black.

"Lightpaw?" A voice meowed worriedly.

Lightpaw squinted her eyes as her vision returned, the light blinding her.

"Oh thank Starclan." Moonpaw meowed, relief in her tone. "You're alright."

"I wouldn't say that." She mumbled, her mind racing.

A familiar set of icy blue eyes hovered over her, the blood drained out of the grumpy medicine cat's face. He shook his head quickly, before padding away hurriedly to the other end of the den.

Moonpaw still had a concerned look on her face. "Look, I have no clue what is going on with you, but I need to know everything."

Lightpaw sighed. "Why do you care?"

The medicine cat apprentice sighed in frustration. "Because I have a feeling that this is something big, and it's something that you're going to need help with."

She frowned, trying to avoid her friend's gaze.

"And I know you think you can deal with whatever this is alone, but you can't. I'm not sure how you used to do things where you come from, but here, I try to help my friends in any way possible."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Deal?"

Lightpaw laughed. "I didn't think this was a deal kind of thing."

"Well," Moonpaw shook her head, a smile forming on her face. "It is now."

Lightpaw sighed, sitting up cautiously. "I take it I can't say no?"

Moonpaw grinned. "Nope."

The dappled apprentice rolled her eyes, a smile forming on her face.

"Fine, where do I start?"

* * *

【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】

 **Ahh sorry if that was a super weird ending, I'm never quite sure how to end these chapters.**

 **Also, just thought I would mention that I had no intention of writing this kind of chapter, it kind of just came out of nowhere. I thought it might be kinda cool to add in that little hint of the main overarching plot at the beginning there, so I hope you guys liked that weird little snippet.  
As always, please leave a comment down below if there's any critique or just random stuff you want to chat about, I love reading your reviews, and I'll respond to them in the next chapter.**

 **I'm also accepting OC requests for the story (I need more cats for future flashbacks (wink wink). Feel free to PM me any characters with their name, appearance, and any personalities/backstory you want to be included :D.**

 **See you all next chapter,**

 **-snoot**


	14. Chapter Twelve

【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ】

"Wow" Moonpaw mumbled in astonishment, her eyes wide.

"So when you.." She gestured towards the ground, her paw making a flopping motion. "...Pass out, you really see another cat's life?"  
Lightpaw nodded.

"Wow," she repeated. "That's crazier than I thought."

She couldn't help but laugh. "What did you think it was?"  
"I don't know?" She responded in mock defensiveness, standing up with a smile. "I thought you just had health issues."

Lightpaw shook her head at her friend while laughing. "If I wasn't completely exhausted I wouldn't find this very amusing."

Moonpaw's smile fell abruptly as she cast a glance over her shoulder.

"Can I still trust him?"

Her mentor sat at the other end of the den, his glaze clouded in thought.

Lightpaw sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how all of this would affect your relationship with him."

Her friend shook her head as if to shake all of the negative thoughts out of her head. "No, no, I'm glad I know. It just makes things a bit more…" she trailed off. "Awkward. As if they weren't already," she added in a quieter tone.

The two had been speaking in hushed voices, hoping that Cloudwhisker hadn't heard anything they were saying, which apparently wasn't quiet enough.

"If you two are done gossiping, then Moonpaw should really be left alone to do her duties." Cloudwhisker butted in an edge to his tone.

Lightpaw stood up hastily, trying to ignore the slightly worried look from her friend.  
"Go," Moonpaw assured. "I'll be fine."

She padded out into the hazy camp, a slight fog leftover from the rain.

"Hey!" Stonepaw meowed, jogging over to her. "How was sorting herbs?"

The dappled apprentice tilted her head to the side, confusion in her expression. "Herbs?"

The tom gave her a confused glance. "Um, you know, the ones you were helping Moonpaw with?"

"Oh!" Lightpaw meowed, her eyes widening. "Yeah, it was fine." She responded shakily.

Stonepaw's eyes narrowed, as he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the she-cat darting away.

"Talk to you…Later?"

Lightpaw cursed herself as she dashed out of camp, running into the dew filled forest.

"Wow, if you're going to be lying to people, you might want to become better at it."

She flipped around, her eyes surveying the clearing wildly. "Who the-"

A familiar frame stepped out from behind a clump of foliage, a small smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Lightpaw mewed in bewilderment, trying to tell if anyone was nearby.

Lightheart sighed, sitting down and grooming a paw.

"I didn't think you could, I don't know, come here."

The starry cat let out an empty laugh. "Let's just say it wasn't easy getting here."

Lightpaw wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Who's stopping you?"

The she-cat began to respond, but cut herself off, glancing far off into the forest. "I'll tell you later if I get the chance. But right now, there's somewhere you need to be."

"What?"  
Lightpaw sat up in a hurry. "Follow the oak tree's towards the training hollow, but take a sharp left turn before you get there."

"Why?"

"Just-Go."

Lightpaw's gaze darted in the direction that the other cat was speaking of, and when she looked back Lightheart was gone.

 _But that's near the Shadowclan border?_

Predicting something bad would happen if she didn't listen to the she-cat's ominous words, Lightpaw began to pad in the direction she was speaking of.

"God," she whispered to herself, casting a glance towards the training hollow, where Bearpaw and Pouncepaw were training. "Why do I listen to her again?"

She followed Lightheart's instructions as she took a sharp left, wedging between several bushes.

"So If I do this, I can come back home with you, right?" A cautious voice mewed, laced with a hint of hope.

A deep, smooth voice responded. "Of course Briarpaw, I also keep my promises, do I not?"

Lightpaw made a squeaking noise as she ducked behind a nearby bush.

 _Briarpaw? And,_ her eyes narrowed as she tried to place the tom's face, her green eyes shortly widened as she realized who it was. _Slatefur? Why is he everywhere?_ The tom somehow knew about Lightheart, which made him a huge point of interest for the apprentice.

"Yeah, I know, It's just…" the normally brooding apprentice seemed like an entirely different cat, her usual guarded demeanor seemingly gone, her dark eyes narrowed in confusion. "I don't know why you would want anything to do with _them."_

Slatefur shook his head, pacing around the clearing. "I told you to never question me."

The apprentice shrunk under his gaze. "Sorry," Briarpaw mumbled.

The tom straightened his spine, flexing his claws. "Lakepaw, Stonepaw and-" he frowned. "What was the other one's name?"

"Lionpaw."

Lightpaw let out a small gasp. _What do they have to do with all of this?_

"Right. They all play a crucial role in what is about to happen." He padded over to Briarpaw, a cold look in his eyes. "You want things to go according to plan, right?" The dark she-cat stared at the ground. "Yes."

"Remember how much is riding on you." His voice took a silky tone, his eyes glinting. "Our family is counting on this."

Lightpaw couldn't help but be confused. _He can't be her-_

Briarpaw swallowed, straightening her posture, a determined look in her eyes. "Yes, Dad."

Slatefur let out a purr, before standing up and padding towards the Shadowclan border. "Don't let this opportunity get away."

"I won't."  
The tom padded away, leaving a weary Briarpaw alone in the alcove. The she-cat stood up, casting a worried glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she caught a flash of emerald green in the bushes, before dashing back to camp.

Lightpaw's mind was racing at a mile per minute. _What are those two planning, and why are my friends involved?_ She could feel her anxiety getting the best of her, as she ultimately concluded whatever was going on wasn't good.

 _I have to warn them._

Lightpaw raced back to camp, all the while tripping over various debris around the forest, her only goal being to get to her friends.

She skidded into camp, coincidentally colliding with a nervous Briarpaw by the entrance. The apprentice shot her a nasty look, fear glinting in her eyes.

"Where were you two?" Russetheart eyed the two apprentices.

"Hunting." The two replied simultaneously.

Russetheart's eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to scold the two, but was cut off by an eager looking Foxtail.

"Relax, Russetheart." He meowed happily, nudging her goodnaturedly. "They're back just in time."

"For what?"

"Your assessments."

The two's eyes widened, Briarpaw's eyes darting to the far side of camp, where Lionpaw, Lakepaw, and Stonepaw padded over to the four, a small grin spreading across her face.

"Now this time," a tom meowed, Blizzardstar joining the group as well. "There's a catch."

Lightpaw immediately avoided eye contact with the Thunderclan leader, anxiously trying to get the siblings' attention.

"You won't be able to communicate with any of your fellow apprentices at all during the assessment."

Briarpaw's face immediately fell, worry settling in her features.

"Wait-" Lightpaw meowed, cut off by Russetheart.

"No exceptions, unless someone's dying, keep it completely silent out there. To help us make sure that not of you are conspiring with each other, Nightpelt, Mossclaw, and Sparrowfeather are already spread out across the forest."

Lightpaw tried to ignore the worried glances from Stonepaw, as she tried to calm her thoughts. Now, she not only had to worry about stopping Briarpaw, but she also had to worry about passing her assessment. _Great._

"Alright." Blizzardstar meowed, standing up. "Shall we begin?"

And with that, the cats scattered, Stonepaw and Lakepaw dashing towards the Shadowclan border, Lionpaw heading near the sunningrocks.

"Look, I don't know what you saw, but whatever it is, it isn't what you think, _kittypet._ " Briarpaw hissed in her ear, a small amount of pleading in her tone.

"Yeah, well," Lightpaw's voice wavered, trying to attract anymore attention to the two of them. "I'm not really in the mood to fail my assessment."

Briarpaw rolled her eyes, before dashing after Lionpaw.

Lightpaw tried to distract herself by hunting, missing a few easy catches here and there. _If I fail this, I have to stay an apprentice for at least a few more moons, but If I don't try and stop Briarpaw, my friends are at stake._

Yes, it wasn't a simple ultimatum, but either way, she felt like she was choosing the wrong scenario. _Maybe one of the senior warriors will catch her, they're stationed all over the territory, right?_

She snapped out of her thoughts as she barely caught a mouse, having a sinking feeling that she couldn't rely on her clanmates for help.

Lightpaw began to track Stonepaw's scent, his location being the closest to where she was, as well as Briarpaw's lingering nearby.

"Stonepaw, I need you to come with me." A desperate Briarpaw hissed to a confused looking Stonepaw, who was standing over a dead thrush.

Stonepaw's eyes widened, as he began to try and get away without making a sound.

"Hey-" The she-cat whispered more aggressively. "This is important."

Lightpaw looked around wildly, trying to find a way to distract the two, finally settling on a fallen tree branch. She leaped, forcing all of her weight on the branch, resulting in a loud snap.

Briarpaw's head snapped up wildly before she fled into the forest. Stonepaw glanced around his surroundings before his gaze landed on Lightpaw. Even more worry and confusion in his eyes.

"I'll tell you later." Lightpaw mouthed silently, before darting off into the forest.

"Thank you!" A dejected-looking Stonepaw called out, before shaking his head and padding away.

 _Great, my time is probably almost up, and I've caught basically nothing._

While running through the forest, she caught a whiff of something she hadn't ever scented before.

 _What the-_

She glanced up to see a large dark brown figure looming above her, its rounded yellow eyes gazing ahead.

 _An owl?_

Immediately she knew she wouldn't be able to catch it. Even if its senses weren't fully utilized in the daylight, the thing would probably fly off before she could get anywhere near her, or it would swoop down and carry her away Snowkit-style.

 _Wait._ A brief memory of Biology class resonated in her mind when learning about owls in fifth grade.

 _Sclerotic rings. They physically can't look anywhere but straight ahead. If I could manage to sneak up on it, I could probably damage a wing enough to make sure it can't fly away._

Was this a bad plan? Yes. But it was her only option if she wanted to become a warrior.

She inwardly cursed herself, immediately finding fault in her plan. _They have super great hearing._

Lightpaw looked around, hoping to find any kind of inspiration, and settled on a tree nearby. The thing looked half-dead, but it was tall enough for her to leap onto the owl from afar.

 _Alright, let's hope I don't kill myself trying to get this stupid bird._

She began to make her way up the tree, trying not to look down towards the ground. Once she was at the top she felt the tree rock beneath her, the skinny trunk below her trembling under her weight.

 _Shoot._

Before the tree could fall, she sprung in a leap of faith, already preparing for the worst as time began to slow down.

 _Hey, the worst that can happen is that I break a leg like Cinderheart, or get squashed like Briarlight._

 _Or you know,_

 _Die._

She let out a scream as she managed to barely land on the opposing tree branch, narrowly snagging the giant owl's wing in the process.

The bird let out an ear-bleeding screech, as it began to squirm wildly.

The apprentice held on for dear life, managing to slit the bird's throat in the struggle. She felt her claw snag on the tree bark as she slid down the trunk, desperately grabbing for a hold as the bird dragged her down.

She landed with a hard thud on the forest floor, the only thing catching her fall being a few bits of loose shrubbery.

"Well, I hope the owl survived all of that." A cat meowed from behind her, amusement in his tone.

Lightpaw scrambled to her feet, wincing as she put pressure on her wrenched foot.

"Great catch though, although your means were a bit…unconventional." Blizzardstar meowed, padding up to inspect the bird at his feet.  
Maybe it was because she was still in shock, or maybe she had just snapped in general, but she turned to face the leader. "Oh so now you want to be friendly."

Blizzardstar's expression turned to shock before he let out a sigh.

"You have every right to be angry-"

"I sure as hell do." She hissed, not fully aware where her newfound confidence came from.

"One minute your acting like I don't exist, and like everything's fine, the next you're having a mental breakdown with your medicine cat! I mean," she laughed bitterly, "I'm starting to understand why Lightheart was so angry before."

The spotted tom turned away from her, his tone shifting. "How did you know about that?"

Lightpaw sat up. "I'm not giving you answers until you give me some."

He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head bitterly. "You sound just like her you know."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Before he could say anything else, she limped towards her catch, stubbornly trying to drag it out of the clearing, her adrenaline rush from her anger wearing off.

"Do you need help with that?"

"I'm fine." She retorted, tears forming in her eyes, half out of all of the anger and loneliness that had accumulated every since she had arrived in the clan, half out of pain.

Lightpaw felt the dead weight from the bird being lifted, as she nearly collapsed.

"Lightpaw!" she heard a voice call out, as several cats flooded into the area, Lakepaw shooting a quick glance at the fallen tree.

"Are you alright?" A concerned Lionpaw meowed.

"I'm fine." she breathed, trying to mask her wavering tone.

"Did you catch that?" Russetheart meowed, a hint of awe in her tone.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I guess?! That's a giant-"

"Lionpaw" Russetheart scolded, taking the bird from Blizzardstar and flopping it near the golden apprentice. "Help me carry this back to camp."

Mentor and Apprentice began to lift the massive bird, Lakepaw running over to Lightpaw. "Are you okay? Do we need to get help?"

She shook her head feebly as her friend tried to provide support.

"Lakepaw, Stonepaw, head back to camp with the others, I need to speak to Lightpaw in private."

Her friends shot her a concerned look, before padding after the other cats.

"So, you want answers?"

Lightpaw kept her head bent as she limped in the direction of her friends out of embarrassment.

"I loved her."

She stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"But I also was the one responsible for her death."  
She turned to face the tom. "How-"  
"I should've listened to her when she wanted me to help, I should have done _something."_

Sorrow laced his expression. "But I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I had no clue what she was going through and still don't," he whispered quietly.

"I don't understand."

He sighed. "I'll try to get Cloudwhisker to ease up on you-although he probably won't listen," he added quietly.

Lightpaw rolled her eyes, wiping away a stray tear. "Yeah, thanks, that would kind of help." She glanced down at her paw, which was slowly swelling. "Considering that I'll probably be spending a lot of time with him."  
He sighed, standing up. "Lightpaw, just please, don't go looking for answers to everything. I know what it's like to still want to know-"  
"No!" She whispered in exasperation. "You don't! You may have lost your mate-or whatever she was, but I lost something too, and I've never even met her in the flesh! All of those cats back at the clan, they only see me as a dead cat walking. So as long as I still have her name hanging over me, I'm going to be seeking answers for whatever you all are trying to cover up for the rest of my life. And you know what, I think she wants me to. I think she _needs_ me to do whatever she couldn't, so If you ever loved her or whatever, you'll either help me or not stand in my way."

"This isn't your problem!" He retorted angrily.

"You made it my problem when you named me after her!" She yelled back.

Lightpaw shouldered her way past the bewildered tom angrily, trying to block out the pain from her injured foot.

She left Blizzardstar in shocked silence, his mind trying to process the information he had just learned, as well as a new fear arising.

"She isn't going to stop until she knows everything about us, is she?"

Blizzardstar turned to the Thunderclan medicine cat, a wad of comfrey at the long-haired tom's feet.

The Thunderclan leader swallowed.

"What have we done Cloudwhisker?"


	15. a note

_**(Warning: All of this chapter is an authors note, and isn't a real chapter.)**_

 **Wowwee.**

 **It has been a while. Like seriously, how long has it been? 6 months?**

 **I kind of feel horrible about just leaving this story this way, especially since I put way too much time and energy into the plot of this mess, haha. I'm not sure if anyone out there would want this to continue, even if I did continue. I still adore the series and would love to rewrite all of this, to make it somewhat better, even though I'm a little surprised at how much I** ** _don't_** **hate this.**

 **Anyway, I guess what I'm asking is would anybody be interested in seeing the complete story? I know chapters like these are really annoying, but I wasn't sure what else I would do haha.**

 **-snoot**


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